Little Angel
by Scarlet has Fantasy Issues
Summary: I am not satisfied with this new form of love: memory. I must have the real thing for the memories I have of this little angel are few in number and so grow duller in my mind in its grief… Nuada/OC
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Here I go with another attempt at a Hellboy story, only this time, it's the sequel to **_**Until You Love Me**_**. I think I'll try to keep it in Nuada's perspective for the most part, but there will be some OC moments and other canon characters. So for those of you who have given me a second chance, here is the first chapter to my sequel…**

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Nuada stood in a green field, his breath coming in rapid bursts. He did not know how long he had run with the body of his fated mate. All he knew was that it didn't matter; nothing mattered until his heart was one again, healed of the grievous wounds inflicted upon it by the last noble act of his love, his little angel.

_Soon…_Nuada thought, laying her down on the soft grass. _Soon I shall be free of this mind numbing pain…Soon I shall have the love back that she so selfishly sacrificed herself to change to memory…I am not satisfied with this new form of love: memory. I must have the real thing for the memories I have of this little angel are few in number and so grow duller in my mind in its grief…_

He pulled the covering off of his little angel, her wings flattened against the ground, spread like a pillow under her body. His eyes smoldered with longing as he looked at the pale features of the woman who had captured his heart, had shared it for a time. What Nuada saw brought forth an odd ache in his chest, echoed dimly through the bond he shared with his beloved sister.

Brynn was paler than he remembered with a tinge of blue on her lips, the lips that he had kissed no so long ago when she was alive. Her body was still covered with burns, but they no longer bled. Oh how Nuada wished he could return her to the unblemished form he had found her in. Even his kiss could not heal the wounds of the dead and for that Nuada felt a flash of anger.

"If you had been a full angel you would have shaken these trifling wounds off and rested in my arms, little angel," Nuada commented, kneeling by her side. "My little warrior…how quick to fall after such a triumphant kill…Not just anyone could kill a fallen angel of death, but you succeeded where your friend and I failed and for that I congratulate you."  
The breeze stirred Brynn's hair, the dark tendrils brushing lightly against her face. Nuada closed his eyes for a moment, hearing the wind sigh his name. It was almost as if Brynn's spirit had become part of the wind and was trying to comfort him.

"Little angel," Nuada said, touching her wing, the soft feathers the only part of her that remained unblemished, but this one was bent at an odd angel. Nuada flinched at the memory of Brynn's pain and her overwhelming sadness at the loss of a piece of her. "Do not fear, I shall reunite our hearts soon. The creature of which I seek is just beyond the hills, in a place of old memories hidden away from the human world." He hesitated. "Bethmoora has changed from the beautiful memories that I have shared with you. It has become lifeless and cold since the Indestructible Army was hidden away there. The Army that I would have commanded to destroy everything that you held dear, the repulsive creatures of humanity…"

He sighed, wondering why he was speaking to her. She was dead and couldn't possibly hear him, but looking at her, Nuada convinced himself that she was just sleeping. She was in a deep sleep where she was completely closed off from his thoughts. It felt almost natural to talk to her, it felt right.

"Of course, things have changed slightly since I have met you," Nuada continued, rising to his feet once more. "My view of humans has softened, but do not doubt me, little angel. I do not love humans. I despise them with every fiber in my being, just as I love you. Do not think that anything you may say or do will change my view. It is so deeply ingrained in me that I cannot turn my back on it." He scooped her off the ground again, lightly covering her face with the covering once more. "But you, my little Halfling, are the only thing remotely human that I shall ever love."

_Nuada…_

The wind sighed his name once more, but Nuada ignored it as he continued walking. He felt new strength enter him as a ray of sun broke through the gray storm clouds that had blanketed the earth when Brynn had died. His eyes turned to the ray as it warmed him and the kiss of a soft rain curved down his cheeks. It was as if the sky mourned the loss of another angel – it had been centuries since an angel had died and now the heavens had something to mourn over.

_Not for much longer_, Nuada thought, making it over the crest of the hill to see the scattered rocks of the entrance to Bethmoora. _Very soon, the sky will rejoice again._

An ugly creature scooted into view and bowed his head. "Good day your highness! What can I do for ya?"

"Open the way to Bethmoora, friend," the dark prince ordered, looking down at the goblin. "I must meet with the Old One."

The goblin nodded and pulled out a wooden trinket, blowing into it. Nuada scarcely looked at the rock creature that opened the way to the land of his birth before he walked into the darkness.

"Good luck to ya, your highness!" the goblin called after him before the door closed.

Luck had nothing to do with it. Nuada knew what he wanted and he knew that he would get it, no matter what the price. He could not bear the pain of living without the other half of his heart and he knew that the Old One would do what he wished.

Nuada stepped through the blackened remains of Bethmoora and into a separate chamber. A woman with wings stood there, moving about on the floor that depicted the future. She turned at the sound of his light breathing and smiled from underneath her tattered cloak's hood.

"Prince Nuada," she hissed in a raspy voice. "I have been expecting your arrival."

"Then, old friend, you know why I have come," Nuada said, moving to stand in front of the old creature with his precious burden cradled in his arms.

"To save the life of your fated mate, yes I have foreseen this," the Old Angel of Death stretched its double wings, "let me see her…."

Nuada laid Brynn outside of the woman's circle and removed the covering from Brynn's face. The angel hissed and drew herself forward, lowering herself onto her knees. A hesitant, dried hand reached out as if to touch Brynn, but Nuada raised a hand to keep her back.

"Such a pure creature, burned and lifeless…" The unseen eyes of the woman looked at him. "You failed to protect your fated mate, Prince Nuada. What makes you worthy of another chance?"

"I have but tasted love, old friend. I crave more from the woman that lies dead at your feet, the one who did not shrink in fear at the cruel thoughts that pass within my mind. This woman saved my life - as worthless as it is – and showed me compassion I thought humans did not possess."

The angel stood, towering high above Nuada. The eyes on her wings opened and stared at him, scrutinizing him. "You speak like a lovesick youth instead of a prince who has hardened his heart against all humanity. What makes this girl, who is tainted with the blood of a human woman, worth your time?" She held up a bonelike finger. "I seem to recall that you swore to kill your fated mate so that you would not be led astray from your mission to destroy all humans."

"The humanity in her is a flaw that I have attempted to overlook, but her angelic blood…" Nuada shook his head, knowing that using eloquent words would not help him here. "Old friend, I have fallen in love with this perfectly imperfect girl and I desire to have her back in this world."

"Are you prepared to remove the girl from her place in Heaven, a place where there is no pain and only happiness?" She smiled slightly. "And what of your unborn child?"

Nuada swallowed his grief and held his head high. "I wish to bring them back, no matter where they have gone. I wish to have my heart back." He looked up at her. "Will you fulfill my wishes, old friend?"

The angel spread her arms and wings. "I shall, Prince Nuada."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

_Brynn smiled softly as Noemi danced around her, putting flowers in Brynn's dark hair. Everything was felt peaceful here, Brynn couldn't view herself any place else, except for her dark prince's arms. It didn't feel like Heaven without her mate here._

"_Mommy, you look sad," Noemi said, plopping herself down in her mother's lap. "Mommy , what's wrong?"_

"_Nothing, I was just thinking about your father," Brynn murmured, wrapping her arms around her daughter, holding her close. "I don't know how long it has been since he lost me."_

_Noemi laughed a light musical laugh. "Mommy, you've only been here for ten hours and you've already lost track of time? You're silly."_

_Ten hours? It felt like more than that, but Brynn would never admit it. She missed her dark prince, her Nuada. With each moment that passed without him, Brynn felt her sadness grow. She wanted him to be here, holding her in his arms and whispering a song to her in the lost language. _

"_Mommy, King Balor is coming," Noemi announced before hugging her stomach. "Mommy, I don't feel so good."_

"_What's wrong?" Brynn asked, instantly worried about her child. _

_She was slammed with a bad feeling that took her breath away. Brynn felt chilled from within and struggled to reclaim the warmth that had held her in its embrace since she had made her choice to stay in Heaven. Brynn hugged her child tighter, trying to ease her daughter's pain and fear._

"_Balor!" she exclaimed at the sight of him. "Balor what is happening to us?"  
The old king looked weary, almost sad as he looked at the two of them. "You're being pulled back to Earth, Brynn. My son has visited the Old One and has sent for you to come back to your body." He looked at the child clutched in Brynn's arms. "I'm afraid things aren't going to be easy for you, child. Your father has consulted evil and evil will taint your blood when you return to Earth in your mother's womb."_

"_Mommy!" Noemi wailed, tears running down her face. "Mommy! Don't let him take us away from here! Mommy don't -!"_

"_There is no other choice," Balor said as the world spun in Brynn's eyes._

_Brynn screamed as she and her daughter fell from Heaven. Brynn didn't know when it had happened, but Noemi was suddenly no longer in her arms. She looked wildly around, but all she saw was a whirlwind of colors, rushing around her. _

"_Noemi!" Brynn screamed for her daughter who would not answer her._

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Nuada knelt on the dusty floor with Brynn's head lying on his lap. It warmed his heart to see that her wounds had healed, leaving healthy skin in its wake. Already he could see the changes that Nuala and Abraham Sapien had warned about.

Faded black lines spread out from her chest and curved around her arms, encircling her entire body with swirling designs. Her wings, he noted, were healed, but a second glance at them horrified him.

The beautiful, white wings of the angel were tipped with crimson. It reminded him of blood and Nuada wished it would fade away. He could not stand to see the stain of blood on such a gentle creature.

"She is returning to you, Prince Nuada," the Old Angel of Death creature hissed in her raspy voice. "Brynn McKae shall be different than you remembered and your unborn child…will be stained with the evil of darkness…"

"Old friend, why must you hurt me so?" Nuada asked, tearing his eyes away from his love's pale face to look at the creature. "Why must you alter the pure spirit of a child?"

"It was to be," the woman stated, turning her blinded gaze on him. "Your child was pure until you called her back to this world of wickedness and pain…bringing her to this world where her grandfather fell to the Devil's cunning was a wicked thing to do, but it must be, Prince Nuada. The darkness of the dahlia absorbed by your fated mate is now infecting your child." She laughed lightly, the rasping of the wind passing through her lungs. "Did you think that there would be no price for bringing the dead to life?"

"No," Nuada whispered, looking down at his love once more as he felt the faintest touch of her thoughts. "I knew there would be a price, old friend. I had simply hoped…"

"You hoped for a dream," the woman stated, coldly using his words against him.

Had he been so cruel to Brynn in telling her that? She had simply wanted to help him be rid of the hate he had held onto for far too long and he had turned it back on her. How could he have been so cruel to an angel?

_She's half human, _Nuada reminded himself. _The part that I hate the most about her…but what excuse is that when I admit that I love her? It does not make sense to me…_

"She returns…" the woman rasped.

Nuada was taken aback by the fear, the grief, the anguish of Brynn's thoughts as she reentered her body.

"No!" Brynn screamed, her eyes snapping open as she sat up. "Noemi!"

_What have I done?_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**A/N: So, it's kind of short, but that's my style. I hope you liked it and can give me some advice for later chapters. I'll be watching Hellboy while you read this, so feel free to make any comment. Thanks! ~ Scarlet**


	2. Chapter 2

Brynn looked around wildly, not recognizing the place where she suddenly found herself. Her eyes landed on her fated mate, Nuada and relief spread through her body. Then dread soon followed, blotting out the relief and happiness she felt at seeing her dark prince.

"Nuada," she whispered in a hollow voice. "What have you done?"

Nuada was silent, staring at her in wonder. Brynn felt a flash of hot anger course through her system and tore her gaze away from the elf. She needed to look at herself, she realized. All she remembered was pain as her skin burned at the unnatural lightning that Julius had unleashed upon her and the pain of her broken wing.

_Am I whole now?_

Brynn looked down at her hands and saw unburned flesh. She knew she should have been happy about that, but something wasn't right. She lifted her hands closer to her face and saw the faded black lines that swirled across her skin like a faded whole body tattoo. Brynn shuddered, thinking of the evil dahlia that Hellboy had thrown at her.

_My wings…_

"Do not look," Nuada ordered gently, reading her thoughts though his were blocked off from her. "Please, little angel, do not look."

Brynn ignored him and lifted one of her wings, staring at it in horror. Blood, it looked like blood was staining her wings! Brynn shivered from an unnatural cold and pushed herself away from her dark prince. The stain seemed to shine under the dim light cast off by the light within giant, old bottles in all corners of the room.

"Nuada, what have you done?" Brynn demanded, her voice stronger now. "What have you done to me?"

"I have brought you back, little angel," Nuada told her quietly, rising to his feet. "I have brought you back to the realm of the living."

"Why? I was happy where I was!" Brynn snapped, her wings rustling irritably. A frown graced her lips as she realized what she was doing. "Where is this anger coming from?" Her eyes lit upon the angel-like creature which had not left the room. "Who are you?"

"I am the one who brought you back to life, Brynn McKae," the woman rasped, her eyes on the double wings staring at Brynn with almost pity shining in them. "It was I that called your soul back to your broken body for your fated mate. You and your daughter."

"Noemi…" Brynn whispered, putting a hand over her stomach. "What have you done to my child, you foul creature?"  
"I have given you a second chance with her," the Old One announced, her tattered cloak swirling around her. "I have brought her back with you…tainted by your father's evil."

"You tainted my child?" Her eyes turned to Nuada. "Did you know about this?"  
"Yes…I knew," the dark prince murmured, using few words in sight of her anger.

"It was not I who tainted your daughter," the angel-like creature stated, smiling slightly. "It was your fallen father…I have only brought forth that which he tainted and through her, you have been tainted with the darkness of his black heart." She tipped her head slightly as if listening to words that had not been said. "Perhaps you were better off dead, Brynn McKae…perhaps not."

Brynn stepped forward, closer to the circle. "You will tell me how to break the evil of my daughter's heart!"

"I shall not," the old Angel of Death turned away and started fading out of sight. "I have done my part…you must go out and do yours."  
Brynn wanted to scream at the angel-like creature to come back and fix what was wrong, but she knew it was useless. She was already gone and there was nothing Brynn could do to bring her back. Brynn hugged her stomach for a moment, thinking only of the purity of her child up in Heaven, when Nuada touched her shoulder.

"Do not touch me," Brynn whispered, glaring at him out of the corner of her eye. "You have betrayed me, Nuada."

"I have merely brought you back to me," Nuada corrected, his amber eyes smoldering as he looked at her. "I believed that you would be happy to return to your loved ones."

"There were loved ones in Heaven," Brynn muttered, turning to look at him. "Nuada, couldn't you have lasted without me? You did it for centuries before you met me…"

"That was before you came into my life, little angel. In the week I have known you, I have -"

"Don't tell me," Brynn ordered, holding her hand up only to catch sight of her new tattoos. "Your love for me has turned me into the very thing Hellboy and the others kill."

Nuada's eyes narrowed slightly. "They will not kill you, Brynn. I have already spoken with your Abraham Sapien and with my sister…They believe you can be saved from this darkness once more."

Brynn shivered and wrapped her wings around her, her fingers stroking the soft white feathers that remained untouched by the stain of evil. "Nuada…I'm scared…"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Nuada's heart clenched painfully when she said those words. He did not want her to be afraid. Not of the darkness or the future. Not of her friends, herself or him. He wanted her to be the same Brynn he had fallen in love with.

_The Old One said that she would be different, _Nuada thought, wrapping his arms around her. _She is already fast to anger and full of sorrow…_

"Perhaps time will be the balm your heart needs," Nuada said, gently stroking her hair as his shoulder became wet with her tears. "You can find beauty here as you always have amidst the humans…"

"It's not the same as Heaven," Brynn whispered against him. "Nothing is as beautiful as that…"  
_You are_, Nuada was startled by the thought as it appeared in his mind, knowing that his opinion would forever be biased.

"We shall both be in Paradise one day, little angel," he told her, pushing the thought of her beauty aside. "When that day comes, we will forever be together in the beautiful forests above."

Brynn shook her head and pushed against his chest, trying to break free of him. "There's no place for me in Heaven now. I have fallen because you couldn't let me go, because I couldn't let you go."

Nuada did not want to let her go, but he knew better than to trap an angel – even a half-breed – in a place they did not want to be. He released her slowly and she jerked away from him, walking into the circle the Old Angel of Death had vacated. She looked down at the pictures on the floor and saw her death depicted there, at the hands of her father though he was dying himself. Nuada did not want to see those horrid pictures of her again, the sight of them echoed with the memory of the scene not more than a night before.

"Brynn…"

"Please Nuada, don't." Brynn looked up at him, tearing her eyes away from the shifting pictures of the circle. "I know you don't like this anymore than I do. If you could have joined me without ending the life of Nuala, you would have done it. You were just doing what you thought was right, no matter how wrong it was."

"It cannot be wrong if I have reunited our shared heart," Nuada said, taking a step towards the circle, but she shook her head, holding her hand out as if to keep him back. "I have brought back the love that we lost and now, we can begin again." Brynn shook her head again and looked back at the pictures on the floor. "Little angel, we must leave this place."

"Very well," Brynn murmured, sweeping her dark hair away from her face. "But first, tell me something." She fixed her blue-gray gaze on him. "What was that creature that brought me back?"

Nuada hesitated, knowing the answer would frighten her but also knowing that she deserved the truth. "She is an angel of death."

Brynn drew her breath in sharply and Nuada felt the cold air fill his lungs, stinging him from within. "An angel of death?" She lifted her hand and pointed as if the Old One was still there. "Am I to become like that foul creature?"  
"No, you will not," Nuada promised, holding his hand out. "Please, little angel, come."  
Brynn drew her hands away from him and walked past him. Nuada felt her thoughts rushing in torrents through their bond, but he was unable to catch hold of a single one. It disturbed him to feel her restlessness and his only thought was getting her back amongst her friends.

_Perhaps if she is amongst her friends, she will feel better…Perhaps one day she will forgive me…_

Brynn disappeared from the room and Nuada followed in her footsteps. He came to a stop when he saw that she was kneeling next to the form of a little girl, now long dead and solidified in rock, blackened with age. Red tears shone in her eyes, falling softly down the curve of her cheeks.

"They never had a chance…" she whispered and Nuada felt her sadness for a child she never knew.

"The youth rarely do in times of war, dear angel," Nuada told her quietly, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"Did the humans do this?" Brynn asked, turning her head slightly.

"I know not."

Nuada felt her probing his mind through their bond for something. He thought she was probably looking for a memory to comfort her, so he let her enter. Instead of taking a look into a comforting memory he had opened to her, she tapped into his memory of the old language. She took a raspy breath and touched the hand of the child.

"From the earth we are born and to the earth we return," she whispered in the tongue of his people. "May you have found peace in Paradise amongst the gods, my young sister of the old beings…"

"_Thank you…" _Nuada heard the faintest whisper echo around them and the corner of his lips twisted up slightly.

"You're welcome," Brynn murmured, wiping away her tears. "Even though I can't do much more for you…"

"It does not matter," Nuada stated, helping her to her feet. "She is happy to have someone whisper such kind words to her. Perhaps now, she will find peace in Paradise..."

"That's all I could ever wish for anyone…" She bowed her head to the little girl before turning and walking away, her bloodied and blackened dress flowing behind her.

Nuada followed her for a moment before matching her stride beside her. There was a red tint to her eyes, he noticed, from where she had cried and even after her tears were dried, the red tint remained. He inhaled quietly, scenting the air and to his horror he smelled blood.

_She cries blood now...one of the many changes that I am sure to find because of the Old One…_

"Nuada, everyone lied to me," Brynn said suddenly, glancing at him as they walked.

"How so?" She didn't need to answer him verbally, her thoughts wandered over into his mind. "They never knew of the Old One until it came time for your red friend to nearly die at my hands. It was merely a lack of knowledge on their part."  
"And what about you?" Brynn asked as the rock door opened for them, letting sunlight pour into the cursed area that was Bethmoora. "You claimed I was the last angel on Earth, yet the Old One was here all along…We're the same kind of angel…" She hesitated. "Why am I not like her?"  
"Do you wish to be?" Nuada saw the fury in her eyes at being asked that question. "The Old One is tainted with evil and has been around since the earliest time of Bethmoora. It only makes sense, little angel, that she does not look like you."

Bryn did not seem quite happy with the answer, but it was the best he could give. The two walked out into the sunlight and Nuada closed his eyes for a moment, letting the warmth of the pure light spread through his body. Brynn made a soft sound of sadness, causing him to look at her once more.

The faded black lines on her body seemed to shift under the sun's kiss as if the evil it represented could not stand the light. Brynn spread her wings, letting them beat once to test the strength of the one that had been broken not long before. Nuada felt her happiness when she realized that her wing was fully mended, just as the rest of her body was.

Birds circled overhead, calling out to one another. Nuada followed Brynn's gaze up to them and a small smirk turned up the corner of his lips.

"You wish to fly with the creatures of the air," Nuada murmured, brushing his fingers lightly against her sensitive feathers. She shivered and Nuada smiled at the blissful feeling he felt echoed in his body from hers. "Why do you not let yourself fly?"

"I am afraid of heights," Brynn replied weakly.

"Never let fears hold you back from a power you were blessed with by the gods," Nuada ordered quietly. "You are an angel, destined to soar above the world, free of all the human limitations."  
"Yeah, and watch how fast I get caught in an airplane jet engine."

Nuada gave her a pointed look. "Fly, little angel."  
"I'm only doing this because I want to, not because you told me to," Brynn muttered, flapping her wings.

Nuada smiled as she took off into the air. She lacked grace as she flew in the sky above him, but he knew that would come with practice. It would be a matter of time before she championed the sky as she had championed his heart.

Nuada looked beyond his fated mate, out towards the horizon and his smile fell. There was a darkness on the horizon just as he had felt stirring in Brynn's heart. Nuada shook his head and looked back at his oblivious angel.

_Fly in peace little angel,_ he thought as the breeze stirred his hair. _For I fear that we are not going to have much peace in the near future…_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**A/N: What lies ahead for the mismatched duo? I seriously don't know. I'm completely making this up as I go on. Expect updates in a couple of weeks because my Nuada Muse has fled me as have most of my other Muses. (I really must get them back. :/) **

**And I need your honest opinion, is this better or worse than the prequel? I hope I'm writing Nuada better and that you'll forgive me for the travesty that is **_**Until You Love Me**_**. I'm trying now, so please review me and give me a piece of your mind and I'll do my best to respond to your reviews. :D ~ Scarlet **


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N: I'm so sorry that I've taken this long to get another chapter out, but I've had a severe case of writer's block, loss my will to write, found my will to write, and have been preparing for college. I hope the quality of my work hasn't failed and that I can produce more chapters soon, but I don't know…**

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Brynn stepped away from Nuada when she opened her wings outside of the Bureau complex. She felt sick and she knew that he could sense that. There was nothing he could do to make it better though and she felt how he resented the helpless feeling she left him with. The proud warrior never expected to feel helpless and now that he could do nothing to calm the storm inside her, he hated the weak feeling that blossomed within him.

_That'll teach him to not mess with forces that are beyond his power_, Brynn thought bitterly, shielding her thoughts from him as best as she could. _Or it won't…It depends on how stubborn he is feeling and he's one stubborn elf._

"I'll go in alone," Brynn muttered, looking at him for a moment, still taken aback by the sense of power he gave off. He sent her a pointed look and opened his mouth to speak. "Do you really want to end up locked away in a room with no contact except from Krauss and Myers?"

Nuada remained silent. His fingers grazed the sensitive feathers of her right wing and Brynn suppressed a shiver. No man had made her feel quite as Nuada did, but right now he was in the dog house. Brynn wanted absolutely nothing to do with him until she could be sure that the evil would be removed completely from her and her unborn child.

"Don't touch me like that," Brynn ordered, closing her wings so that they were tucked close to her body. "I'm mad at you."

"This anger is not easily understood, little angel…" he commented. "I have given us a second chance to be together."

"Yeah, well…so far you've blown that sky high by getting our child tainted by evil." She looked over at the guards standing by the front gate with their dogs, wondering why they hadn't noticed the two fated mates yet. "You should go now before I decided to buffet you around with my wings. I'll find a way to make just you hurt instead of Nuala and you feeling the pain together."

Nuada didn't seem impressed with the threat. Brynn turned and stormed towards the gates, determined to put the dark prince behind her until she could get fixed. The guards took notice of her now and called out to her. Brynn felt an unusual flash of irritation as she saw how they were holding back the dogs they had with them. All the dogs wanted to do was be free to make their own decisions and right now, they wanted to jump on her.

Brynn didn't look at the guards as one of them led her into the Bureau complex. She climbed wordlessly onto the lift and descended into the base. The sickening feeling of being oppressed by the ground came bubbling to the surface, bringing back Brynn's claustrophobia. The dark angel shifted uncomfortably as she felt eyes on her.

"Brynn!" someone called out and Brynn felt annoyance at the fact that Myers would be the first to greet her. "You're alive!"

"Yes, I'm alive and don't think that just because I went to Heaven and got a halo doesn't mean I have forgotten to be mad at you," Brynn grumbled, holding a hand out to keep him back. "I'm still not over the kiss."

Myers frowned at her. "Brynn, I told you that I was sorry."

"You did not."

"Hey Mama Bird!" Hellboy's gentle growl came from beside her and Brynn felt a heavy hand on her shoulder. "Next time you want to die on us, don't. It gets m- Abe all weepy and we can't have that. He really needs to toughen up, you know."

Brynn looked up at Hellboy and saw the remnants of sadness in the demon's eyes. She felt it echoed in her soul and wished there was a way to end it all. She placed a hand on top of his and tapped her fingers against his red skin.

"I'll try not to die again," Brynn murmured with a small smile. "It's Hell coming back. I don't like it very much."

"So you did die…You didn't just slip into a coma and -" Myers began.

"We've already established the fact that she died," Hellboy stated, his yellow eyes gleaming as he looked at the shorter man. "Now, we're off to run some tests on you, Mama Bird."

Brynn jerked back. "Tests?"

"Oh right. Abe mentioned something about you eating first and then the tests…" Hellboy shrugged. "Either way is fine with me really because to tell you the truth, I could eat a horse right now." He seemed to think about it for a moment. "Nah, I wouldn't eat a horse, but a cow …mm…burgers and chili…"

Brynn brushed his hand off of her. "I don't want to undergo testing! If I had known that you were going to try to test me, I would have stayed away from the Bureau."

"What's wrong with a little scan or two?" Hellboy asked. "It's not like they're gonna put a big needle in you and suck out some of your golden-red blood." He blinked and then squinted. "There's something different about you. Did you get a haircut?"

"No."

"Hellboy, she's been tainted with evil," Abe announced, appearing with Nuala at his side. "Tainted by the Old One and her father."

"Good news travels fast," Brynn muttered, folding her arms over her stomach. "Abe, you're not running tests on me."

"Brynn pet, you know why we must run tests on you. We need to -" Abe began calmly.

"No!" Brynn snapped, her wings rustling irritably. "You are going to just perform an exorcism or a purification ritual, whichever it was you did before I died. That's it. Then I'm going to walk out of here without these horrible markings and stained wings and live my life."

"It's not that easy Brynn," Abe said, holding a hand out. "How are we to know that without this evil in you that you'll live? We do not even know the demon that was used to bring you back."

"It was Julius' evil. Isn't that enough knowledge, Abraham?"  
"If we release the evil from your heart where do you think the evil will go? It could very well solidify somewhere and unleash your father upon the world again. Or -"

"I don't care," Brynn cut across him. "I just want to become myself again. I want my child to be saved. I want to be free of this evil."  
"We understand that, but you have to be aware of the consequences," Myers chipped in. "If we accidentally unleash evil upon the world, we may be faced with the next threat of apocalypse. Don't you think the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one?"

"Don't _you _think that I could make your head explode with one sharp cry?" Brynn hissed at him, her voice dropping to a dangerously low hiss. "I know people could die if I release evil into this world, but would you rather have a new evil to kill or another angel of death that's gone evil?" Brynn's eyes narrowed as she glared at Myers. "Trust me, I won't be so easy to kill."  
Nuala came forward and Brynn thought the Elven princess was going to say something. Instead, the pale woman brought a hand up and smacked Brynn across the face. All became still at the action and Brynn touched her face. Nuala looked absolutely horrified at what she had done, but there was something in her eyes that Brynn recognized. Nuada; he was peering out at Brynn through his sister's eyes.

"Brynn McKae," Nuala said, her voice straining to remain calm after her most recent action. "My brother would want you to consider the lives of others before your own. Please, allow Abraham to run tests on you so that he may know what he can do next. It is for the best, Brynn."  
Brynn stared at the pale woman long and hard. She frowned after a moment. "Fine. He can run tests on me, but I'm not eating."

"Brynn!" Abe let out an exasperated sigh. "You can't starve yourself when you're pregnant!"

"I have enough fat on me to last me awhile," Brynn told him bluntly. "Now, run your stupid tests so we can get this over with."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Nuada felt Brynn's temper simmer as he waited on a rooftop in the sight of the Bureau complex. He could tell by her raging thoughts that she was not happy to be back amongst friends because they had ambushed her and had made her see reason. Nuada was unsure if he liked this new Brynn, this more emotional angel that he didn't recognize but loved nonetheless.

The dark prince was unsure about this love business as well. He had only mustered affection for his sister before and now, after hundreds of years, he had found himself in the same place as his fated mate. How was he to demonstrate love towards the person he had vowed to destroy as the Old One had said? He had never been free to experience love in his quest to destroy all of the humans.

_Why do the gods torment me with such puzzles? _Nuada thought, casting a dark glance up at the darkening sky. _This girl – part of what I cherish, part of what I despise – deserves the love of a man much better than I, yet she chose me. She deserves protection from evil and yet, I have let evil steal her away from me once before, perhaps soon to be twice? I cannot understand this Halfling nor can I understand what she has gone through. Our worlds have been separate for so long that it is foolish to think that we may unite them with such a trifling power as love._

But was it trifling?

Nuada had admitted that he was in love with Brynn not long before. He hadn't said the three words that he knew she wanted – _needed – _to hear. And he realized that he may never do it if he could not find the courage to give himself over to her like that. Nuada did not doubt her, did not believe that she would use love against him, to imprison him forever by her side. No, he knew she'd let him go free, make his own decisions, leaving the window open to her room just in case he wanted to come to her.

A flash of irritation from Brynn merged with the concern of his sister. The Elven prince wished that he had gone into the concrete building with his fated mate. At least there he'd be able to speak with his sister and discover what was making Brynn so irritated. A flash of the image of Myers passed before his eyes as Brynn's thoughts slipped into his mind, bringing a refreshed bout of anger and contempt for that particular human.

_That human I would kill even if I was a lover of humanity. Brynn's earliest thoughts of him claim that he was noble and perhaps he was at one point, but he has fallen in love with the wrong woman. He laid his unworthy lips upon her and dared to attempt to steal her away from me, a noble elf with perhaps the same amount of unworthiness._ Nuada straightened from where he crouched and started pacing the roofline of the building, feeling impatient as the words of the Old One came back to haunt him.

"_You failed to protect your fated mate, Prince Nuada. What makes you worthy of another chance?"_

"Old friend, I do not know what has made me worthy of another chance to protect the young angel," Nuada whispered as if the Old One was standing with him. "You saw something or heard something in my cold heart that changed your mind about bringing her back to me. What that was, I may never know, but I thank you. I shall not fail in protecting her this time."

"_Good…" _the wind whispered as the cold breeze brushed against his skin.

Nuada nodded, to who he didn't know. His eyes turned to the Bureau complex once more when he felt Brynn's thoughts grow erratic, her temper start to rise. Then for a moment, he felt nothing but his sister's concern, Brynn's thoughts completely closed off from him.

"_Foolish humanity…thinking that they can take me down," _something growled and Nuada felt a sudden chill spread through his body when he realized it was echoing in his mind through Brynn's. _"I shall not fall prey to your ways…the dregs of humanity will not stop me! Go ahead Mother, release me and my wrath soon. I shall be the death of humanity that you could never be. Grandfather was right; angels were meant to rule this world and now I shall. Release me soon, dear Mother, Father awaits us both."_

Nuada jumped from the building, landing on all fours for a brief moment on the ground. He straightened and hurried towards the Bureau complex, knowing that his vow to protect Brynn was about to be tested…

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**A/N: I'm running on autopilot here and anything that comes to mind is written down. I don't know where to go from the next chapter I've already written, so I'm looking for some inspiration. Please review this and give me some ideas of about what you like and hate about the story. And if you find my Nuada Muse, tell him to come back or I'll bite one of his ears off when I find him.**


	4. Chapter 4

Brynn could feel Nuada step into the room before she actually saw him, he made sure of that. He didn't want to alarm her as she stood there in chamber with Abraham Sapien and Johann Krauss. Nuada's eyes seemed to glow with anger as he witnessed Brynn trapped in a binding circle. She looked absolutely terrified to be in it, her eyes swimming with tears and her hands protectively placed on her stomach where the evil voice had come from.

"Please Abe!" Brynn cried out, raising a hand that pressed against a barrier that was both invisible and solid. "Please let me out of here!"

"I'm afraid that I can't do that Brynn," Abe whispered, opening a box of supplies, doing his best not to look at Brynn. "You know we have to purify you and the baby before you can be freed of the binding circle."

Nuada felt her exasperated scream tear the air away from his lungs. He could feel her fear in the evil cloud that hung over her in that small space she was enclosed in. It was beyond her fear of enclosed spaces, concerning more of the safety of her child and the pain that would come from the purification process. It irked him to see an angel brought so low.

"You are not supposed to be here," Krauss commented, finally noticing Nuada when Nuada stepped a little out of the shadows. "Prince Nuada, I am going to have to ask you to leave or I will be forced to -"

"I will stay," Nuada cut across him, his eyes focused on his fated mate as her hands pounded on the invisible barrier preventing her from moving freely. "If you call more people in here, it will disturb your circle and she will be free. That…_monster_ will be free."

Brynn's eyes narrowed in annoyance as looked at him after he said those words. She obviously didn't find that thing growing inside of her as evil as the rest of them did.

_A mother's love will do you no good now, little angel_, Nuada thought. _The child inside you is evil and must be dealt with properly…_

"You're going to kill my baby!" Brynn snarled, her wings flapping in the confined space so that her hair whipped wildly in her face. "That evil was what brought her back with me, take it away and she'll die!" She looked at Nuada with pleading eyes. "Take away my evil and you'll kill me all over again…"

Nuada's eyes softened and he reached out to touch her, but Abe knocked his hand aside. The dark prince's eyes turned to the blue creature in question.

"She's lying," Abe told him bluntly. "It's the evil trying to protect itself. You can see it if you look into her eyes…Just don't look too long or…" He hesitated, visibly shaking himself with memories that no one was privy to except him. "… just don't look in them too long."

Nuada's eyes turned towards Brynn's once more and he tried to see what his heart was trying to prevent him from seeing there. Beyond the pleading light in Brynn's eyes, he could make out a darkening ring around the blue-gray of her iris. It pulsated and little black lines dipped into the pupil, feeding a cold fire that burned there behind the pleading light.

"Nuada," Brynn whispered, placing her hand flat against the invisible barrier. "Nuada please, get me out of here."

"Perhaps that is not what I should do," Nuada commented, lowering his hand so that it fell by his side. "Perhaps I should let you stay in the circle until it is certain that the evil in you is gone."

Anger twisted up Brynn's face, taking away the pleading light. She beat her wings, but the hurricane force didn't break through the binding circle. It simply whipped her hair and dress around her body with an unnatural wind.

"Nuada, I can't – I can't do this," Brynn whispered, a calm breaking through the sea of anger that seemed to flow through her. "I can't go through with the pain and the loss…what if Noemi doesn't make it through this?"  
Nuada face was stony. "We shall find a way to live without her."  
Tears of sorrow ran down Brynn's face as she placed a hand on her stomach. Nuada couldn't close his mind off to her in her vulnerable state. She needed his comfort, but he had none at that moment. All he had was the cold reality that he may be the result of the second death of his child. A child brought back by evil, cursed and tainted by the power of a fallen angel. His first child, a daughter, but she was someone he felt detached from. That child of evil was tainting the purity of the angel that he had sworn to protect, to love forever more and if the child did not survive the purification ritual perhaps that would be for the best.

"I'm sorry Noemi," Brynn whispered as Krauss and Abe started approaching the circle with the necessary items in hand. "I'm sorry that the world is against you…that your father has turned cold towards you…that I'm not strong enough to keep you from being hurt…I'm so sorry, my darling…"

Nuada watched as the two 'men' started the ritual, speaking in Latin. Brynn hissed at them in Latin in response, her face twisting up in disgust, but on the inside it was another story. She was feeling scared, unsure where this knowledge of a dead language came from. Her body was tense; bracing for the pain that she was sure would come when Abe decided to throw the holy water on her. Nuada knew that it would only make the pain worse if she remained tense, but he couldn't interrupt the ritual to tell her to relax. Once it was started, it needed to be completed and even the slightest telepathic contact with her would bring the ritual to a crashing halt.

"Nuada!" Brynn cried out, throwing her hands up to shield her face as Abe flung the holy water on her. "Nuada me delectat! Adiuva me!"

Nuada hardened his heart against her pleas for help. Her skin was steaming where the holy water touched, hurting her far worse than his spear through her chest had and Nuada could feel the echo of the pain in his body. He ground his teeth together and turned his face away from the scene. He found he no longer had the stomach to watch as his fated was tortured all for the sake of returning her purity.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Brynn couldn't scream anymore. Her throat hurt, leaving her hoarse and incapable of telling the others of the pain they were causing her. She felt sick to her stomach and the pain was gathering in her stomach. All she wanted was to go curl up in a corner and fade away, out of existence. But the pain continued on as Krauss and Abe performed their duties in purifying her soul and that of her child.

_**Mommy, don't let them do this to me! Mommy, save me from the bad people! They're hurting me! Mommy!**_

Brynn closed her eyes against a wave of tears. _I…can't…_

She knew the child within her was tainted with evil, so different from the Noemi she had loved so much in Heaven, but Brynn loved her. It hurt to know that she was incapable of helping her child on her own, that she couldn't purify her daughter's soul without inflicting so much pain and misery. If only kind words and praying to God were enough.

_God, please help me! Please help Noemi! She is the most precious thing I possess and the result of the love I have for Nuada…Please help ease her pain and save her soul…I beg you to save her soul from the evil of my father who rots in Hell…_Brynn's eyes opened, her reddened tears falling down the curve of her cheeks. _Please Lord, my God, please help us…I beg of you!_

A terrible cry filled the air, rising above the voices of Krauss and Abe, but not completely drowning them out. It took Brynn a moment to realize that it was coming from her. She clenched her teeth as Abe threw more holy water on her, turning her face away as her skin steamed at the kiss of the holy liquid.

He wasn't even really looking at her, running on autopilot as Krauss recited the words from the ancient tome in his hand. Brynn couldn't blame him for that. It was probably a horribly upsetting thing to see, your friend being hurt again and again all for the sake of her and her child's purity. She didn't want to think about it.

_Nuada…_

She needed his comfort, his assuring words, but he offered her none. Brynn met a wall when she tried to reach out tendrils of thoughts into his mind as solid as the invisible barrier keeping her from moving out of the circle. It was a cold and almost heartless thing to do when she needed him the most. Brynn thought about beating down his mental wall, but knew it would be a fruitless attempt since he was older, more experienced, and far stronger than she was.

"Nuada…" she whispered, her voice hoarse and very quiet to even her own ears. "Please…Nuada…"

Nuada kept his face turned away from her. Brynn breathed in the sweet smoke of the herbs that Abe had burnt and pushed hard against his mental wall before giving up completely. She fell to her knees and stared up at the two people who were only trying to help her, completely submissive in all but her spirit. The evil was still in control of her and her child, but Brynn was fighting back, trying to keep herself calm and open to the words spoken by Krauss in his thickly accented voice.

_**You will die…die…die…**_

Brynn closed her eyes against the next spray of holy water, feeling it scorch her face. Her eyes, she knew, were black and the black pattern on her body was shifting as the evil was slowly leeched out of her. She didn't want to know where the evil was going or what it would manifest as, all she knew was that she wanted it out of her, away from her child.

"Noemi…" Brynn moaned softly as pain coursed through her body from her stomach, feeling like a knife twisting in her core. "Please…Noemi, don't die again…"

A wail lifted to the air and Brynn felt the rush of evil coursing out of her, whipping her hair around her face with an unnatural wind as it gathered over her head in a stormy cloud of darkness. She knew it was there, even if she couldn't see it and maybe she didn't want to see it. She certainly didn't want to be there. No, she wanted to be in Nuada's arms, safely held in his strong embrace, drinking in the warmth and comfort that only a lover can give.

"Nuada," Brynn whispered, clutching her stomach as more tears made paths down her face. "Please look at me…"

Nuada did not move, did not look at her. Brynn's bottom lip quivered and she bit it, drawing blood accidentally, but the pain did little good to distract her from the pain gathering in her body.

Krauss' voice grew louder and Abe's voice echoed his as they started reaching the climax of the ritual. Brynn let out a strangled scream and doubled over with pain. She didn't know how much longer she could last before she would die again.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Nuada saw Brynn collapse as the two ritual casters finished up the ritual. She landed on her stomach, her wings spread out like a blanket over her. He noted with a grim face that her glorious wings still held the stain of blood on the tips. The black lines on her body were retreating, being sucked out of her body with the evil. There was a flash of blue light and the dark cloud over her head vanished and the binding circle shimmered out of existence.

_Brynn…_

She didn't respond to him. Her body was over-exhausted and her mind, punished by the evil that had just left her. It didn't surprise him after all that he had heard and the glimpses of her that Nuala showed him from Abe's eyes. A human would have collapsed sooner, but Brynn was not a normal human. She was part angel, a race of higher beings than even the elves of Bethmoora.

And she was his.

Nuada stepped forward at the same moment that Abe dropped the holy objects in his hands and stepped forward. The dark prince turned an amber stare upon the blue man and a slight frown pulled at his lips.

"What do you think you are doing, Abraham?" Nuada questioned, his eyes flitting to his fated mate where she laid on the ground.

"I can't let you take her away again," Abe stated, blinking his large blue eyes as he stared down the elf prince. "Her mother needs to see her. She needs time to recover from this…this incident..."

"_Incident_? Is that the name you give to this torturous ritual?

Abe ignored the question. "The baby needs monitoring."

"The baby lives," Nuada whispered, looking back at Abe. "That is all you need to know about it."

"Her." Abe corrected. "You impregnated Brynn and created a daughter. Brynn calls her 'Noemi' and loves her a lot more than you seem to."

"That child nearly cost me the soul of my fated mate a second time," Nuada commented, his voice dangerously low. "You must forgive me for not loving her as I love my fated mate. She is unwanted by me until it is proven that she has been purged of the evil within her soul."

"My purification rituals never fail to purify the souls of anyone," Krauss declared, closing the ancient tome in his hands. "But there is always a first for everything. That, Prince Nuada, is why we must monitor Brynn until she bears the child and then we shall take the proper steps as the pieces fall into place."

"You will perform the purification ritual over the child if it is proven that it is evil," Nuada guessed, his eyes turning the vaporized man in a clunky metal suit.

"If we find it necessary," Krauss stated. "If the child cannot bear the touch of the crucifix when it is born, then we will do our best to take care of the matter."

"If it is evil," Nuada said, his eyes narrowing as he felt a dull echo of the pain Brynn was feeling even in her unconscious state. "Kill it."

Abe's already wide eyes widened even more. "You want to kill your firstborn?"

"It has hurt Brynn for far too long…If it does not exist, it will not hurt her. Save it if you will, but if it is evil…" He turned and picked up Brynn, her body cold to the touch, but she was breathing. "I shall leave Brynn in your care for the four months it will take for her to bear the child…I shall return at the end of the four months and I expect the child to be dealt with by then."

The two 'men' were speechless as Nuada carried Brynn out of the room and down a few halls. He found her a room where she could rest and sleep off her pain. He was about to leave when she opened her eyes, peering at him with those blue-gray eyes he found quite appealing without knowing why.

_Nuada… you're leaving, aren't you?_

Nuada nodded, brushing a strand of her hair away from her face. "I leave to seek out the evil your friends released into the world..."

_I don't want you to go…please stay with me…_

"Little angel, I will not sit quietly behind four walls for four months until our child is born. I will walk under the sky and live as I have since meeting you…"

_Please Nuada…I don't want you to seek out an evil that you don't know anything about. You need help…_

"And where will I find such help?"

Brynn fell silent, but one of her thoughts weakly bubbled to the surface and Nuada snatched it up easily. It made him laugh lightly.

"Hellboy…he will not help me, but it was a nice idea. Do you have any others, little angel?"

Brynn glared at him weakly, hating how he was shooting her down with each thought. She closed her eyes and turned her face away from him, not in time for him to miss the reddened tears that glistened in her eyes. Nuada gently turned her face so that she was looking at him once more and used a finger to brush away her tears.

"Oh little angel, do not think that I want to leave you. Do not think that I wish to abandon you in your time of need. There is now an evil out there, coming for you, that I must destroy in order to keep you safe. I do not know its form or where it is hidden, but I know it is close by…"

_There's nothing I can do to make you stay…but will you come back?_

Nuada smiled softly. "Yes, I shall return for you in four months time."

Brynn's eyes hardened. _What about our child?_

The dark prince's face and his mind betrayed nothing. "I shall come for her too."

That didn't seem to remove the suspicious gleam in Brynn's eyes, but she was too tired to argue. She closed her eyes again and sighed, falling back into the realm of the unconscious. Nuada kissed her softly on the lips and straightened. He had to leave now or he would never be able to leave her side again.

_Farewell little angel…_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**A/N: The next chapter will probably be based on time jump. I don't feel like writing four months worth of chapters with Brynn and Nuada separate from each other. And the next chapter could be some time in coming. I find that I can only write pieces of a chapter at times when I'm not doing charity work, chores, homework, or college things, so you really must forgive me for being so bad at updating my story.**

**I will respond to your reviews so I do want to know what you think about my story. And my thanks goes out to **_**Reinamarie Seregon **_**for leaving reviews that help me make this story a little more well thought out with each chapter and for being my friend on this site. That is all for now, please review. ~ Scarlet**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N: Here's the time skipping chapter. Away we go, four months into the future of the story…**

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

_Four Months Later…_

Nuada winced as he felt pain course through him, shooting up with jagged lightning from his abdomen. He knew it was not his pain but that of his fated mate who was so far away from him. Nuada knew what had brought on the pain, having noted the day to the exact second, realizing that it was a woman's labor pains. His mate was in labor with the child he had impregnated her with, unknowingly.

_Relax…_Nuada was accustomed to giving orders, but this was different. He had never commanded someone he loved; especially not Nuala, his fair and gentle sister who would have done anything to please him before his exile. And it didn't feel right to give orders to an angel who was of higher breeding than a royal elf of Bethmoora, even if her blood was tainted by vile human blood. _Relax, little angel, the pain will be over quickly…_

_**But your pain will only have begun…**_a vile voice entered his mind and Nuada shrank away from it, not recognizing it as Brynn's but as the voice of her father mixed with the innocent lisp of the voice of a child. _**Father…when will you realize your mistake?**_

_I made no mistake, vile creature. You are tainted with a necessary evil, more vile than any I have encountered in my long years. If you are not purified…_

_**You will have my killed…Where will I go then? To Hell or to Heaven?**_

_I do not care where you go…You are no child of mine._

Nuada withdrew his thoughts from the dark place they had crept to, blocking out the evil voice of the child. He couldn't feel Brynn's thoughts, only her emotions and pain through their weak bond. The dark prince felt inclined to return to her side and offer her strength, but he also felt that until the evil child was removed from Brynn's body and purified, that he could not face her. He had all but condemned that child – the child of his and Brynn's united blood – to death if she could not be made pure again and he knew that Brynn loved that child, ignoring the evil that it had brought to her.

"Little angel…your humanity make things so difficult," Nuada whispered, shaking his head as he walked along the roof top of a building in the city. "Evil wants angels and you're making it so very easy for it to take you."

Another sharp stab of pain coursed through him. Nuada closed his eyes for a moment, breathing in slowly and letting out the breath just as slowly. His heart raced though he had not run, but he forced himself to calm down, so that through their bond Brynn would find the strength he was giving her. It was a gift that she refused – or possibly could not – to take with that child in her.

"Vile creature…" He looked up at the sky, seeing little pinpricks of light in the dark 'blanket' above. "How am I to protect my fated mate, if I cannot keep the vile creature from tormenting her as it moves through her body to breathe in the once sweet air of the Earth?"

The gods revealed no answers to him, just as they had not revealed to him the location of Brynn's evil that had been removed four months ago. He had used most of his resources to find that evil, but no one could help him find this solidified evil.

Nuada never was one to give up on a mission to protect that which was dear to him or that he had long thought of as right, but he was finding it hard _not _to give up. His fated mate needed him and he had promised her that he would return to her side within four months. His sister was not the one that needed to hold Brynn's hand through the labor of birth and that it was his job to be there for her. And he felt that the evil might just be lurking away from Brynn long enough for her to bear the child, so that it may infect her once more or take a firmer hold on the child and manipulate it to the evil's will.

_NUADA! _Brynn's thoughts exploded into his mind, bursting like a firework in the storm that his mind had been in lately, all too fast fading in the storm.

"I am coming, little angel," Nuada whispered, walking to the edge of the roof of a building and jumping off of it to land on all fours briefly before straightening. His amber eyes glanced once more at the sky, seeing the advancing storm clouds approaching and knew that something bad was about to happen.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO (- this is here because I am too lazy to edit my documents online)

"Just one more push Brynn," Abe said from his place between Brynn's legs. "One more big push…"

Brynn was tired of hearing 'one more push' over and over again. One push never seemed like enough to remove the baby from her body. She had pushed _one more time_ seventeen pushes ago. It was like the baby did not want to be born, that it was happy being in her womb for all time. Well, Brynn was tired of carrying this extra weight around in her belly. She wanted the baby out, now, before she really hurt.

"Nuada…should be…here," Brynn ground out from between clenched teeth as her muscle walls contracted again. "Oh God, dammit!"

Nuala smoothed a wet, cold wash cloth over Brynn's forehead. "Brynn, it's going to be all right. My brother is coming for you."

Brynn's face screwed up in pain as she gave another push. Abe told her to relax for a moment and Brynn couldn't help thinking that he was nuts. How could she relax when she had something with wings coming out of her body? She could feel the wings catching on her innards and baby stretching open things that should not be stretched in that way. It would have given her great pleasure to kick her 'father' figure in the face for giving her these instructions.

"I can see her head," Abe announced with what sounded like happiness in his voice. "Give another push…a big push."

"Abe…dammit! I'm…going to kill you…when this…is over with…!" Brynn snapped, giving another push.

"Brynn, I do not like seeing you in pain, but need I remind you that it's because of Eve that the birthing process is so painful for a woman…" Abe said, peering over the blanket's valley at Brynn.

"Abe, shut…up!"

Abe ducked back down between her legs and Brynn felt his cold hands brush against her body, grasping something that was coming out of her. Brynn ground her teeth together and screamed against her teeth as she pushed. Her eyes turned towards Nuala as the elf princess let out a little gasp and then she looked at the hand that she was grasping to see it growing paler.

"Nuala…I'm sorry…" Brynn murmured, trying to ease her grip on the woman's hand but finding it difficult to.

Nuala gave a half-hearted smile. "It does not hurt as bad as you think…"

Brynn let out a choked laugh. "You're a terrible liar."

"One more push…her head is out," Abe announced, raising his voice over Brynn's painful scream. "The rest of her is coming out…keep pushing."

Brynn cried out again as she felt herself stretch even more. She could feel the pinpricks of the feathers' stems dragging against her innards and they caused little spots of light to flash before Brynn's eyes. She sagged against the pillows, sweat slicking her hair to her head and her hospital gown to her body.

"I…I can't do this…" she whispered hoarsely, trembling as another contraction wracked through her body. "Not…anymore…"

"You have to Mama Bird," Hellboy said from off to the side where he was watching the three of them without watching what Abe was doing underneath the blankets between Brynn's legs. "The Little Bird needs to come out of you now. Otherwise, you'll look awfully funny with half a baby sticking out of you."

Brynn's blue-gray eyes narrowed as she looked at Hellboy. "That's not funny…This hurts!"

"I can tell from all the screaming and complaining you've been doing," Hellboy commented, pushing himself away from the doorframe he'd been leaning against. "But think about what you're getting out of it, Mama Bird: a baby and maybe even a cute baby, at that."

"Cute?" Brynn had that delirious feeling of having to laugh again. "You never call anything _cute_..."

"Push Brynn pet, push."

Hellboy waited for Brynn to finish screaming before speaking. "Hey, I think you're cute, but only in a big, crazily fun uncle sort of way…and Prince Dark…he ain't that bad looking either."

Brynn raised an eyebrow and pushed again before Abe could tell her to. She squeezed Nuala's hand tightly again, causing the woman to wince and let out a soft gasp. Hellboy rolled his yellow eyes and stepped up beside Brynn, offering his hand.

"Here, take my hand before you crush hers," he ordered, gently prying Nuala's hand from Brynn's.

The half-bred angel instantly latched onto Hellboy's hand and squeezed it as Abe told her to push one more time. She ground her teeth together and pushed with all her might. It felt like she was going to tear in half before the baby would decide to pop out.

Five minutes later, Abe triumphantly announced that the baby was completely out. "Congratulations, Brynn pet. It's a girl just like you thought."

Brynn sagged against the hospital bed with a sigh of relief. Her chest rose and fell rapidly as she fought to catch her breath. "Thank God!"

Abe messed with something beyond her sight and passed the baby over to Hellboy. Brynn saw that he had wrapped her in a pink blanket. There was a hesitant tenderness as Hellboy looked down at the face of Brynn's child.

"In a few months, you'll be holding your own child," Brynn commented with a small smile. "Can I see Noemi?"

Hellboy lowered himself slightly onto a chair to show Brynn her baby's face. Brynn's heart warmed, but broke at the same time when she saw Noemi's face. Noemi was pale with a flush of color in her cheeks and she had her father's silver-blonde hair and Brynn's overall facial structure, but when Noemi opened her eyes, they were not the color of amber like her father's or the color of blue kissed by gray like her mother's. They were black and glinted darkly from underneath long dark eyelashes.

"She's beautiful," Brynn whispered, touching her daughter's face with a gentle finger. "And her wings?"

"They're black…" Abe muttered, tossing something into a metal pan. "Hellboy…"

Hellboy stood up and pulled out a crucifix. Brynn suddenly felt alarmed as she watched him lower the crucifix towards her baby.

"Don't!" she exclaimed, but it was too late.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Nuada felt his way towards Brynn, using the images of her surroundings to lead him to her. She was distraught, but quietly so and she seemed to be wandering around the compound in search of something. It was a mystery to him how she was even walking after she had been injected with the drugs humans used to numb the body of a woman in travail (labor) and experiencing so much pain.

At last he found her walking down a hallway, peering into rooms and closing the doors with a frown.

"Little angel," Nuada greeted, putting his hands on her arms just below her shoulders, "I have come for you…"  
Brynn stiffened for a moment before turning her head slightly in his direction. The frown did not leave her lips as she looked upon him and Nuada felt her despair.

"Nuada…they've taken my baby," Brynn whispered hoarsely. "They've taken her and I don't know where they are."

"Who has taken her?" Nuada asked, peering into her eyes and noticing that she looked extremely un-rested.

"Hellboy and Krauss disappeared with her," Brynn muttered, shaking her head. "I couldn't follow because my legs wouldn't work and Abe had to sew me back up…but they've left. I can't find her anywhere it scares me."

It was Nuada's turn to frown. "Why did they take her?"

Brynn's eyes brimmed with tears and she closed her eyes, leaning her head against his chest for a moment. "Because she screamed when she was touched with a crucifix…they took her…"

Nuada felt his heart harden. "So, she is infected with evil?"

His fated mate nodded and let the tears fall. "Yes…yes my baby is evil…but I want her back…I want her back…"

The Elven prince pulled Brynn into his arms and stroked her hair soothingly. "I shall find her for you, do not worry anymore. Do not shed your tears. I will find her for you."

They both heard a boom farther down the hall and a door flew open. A baby with black wings scrambled across the ceiling, heading straight for them.

_**Mother…please save me from the bad men!**_

Nuada tried to hold Brynn back, but the girl would not let anything or anyone come between her and her offspring. She pulled out of his arms and opened her arms to her child who fell into her arms and took hold of a tendril of Brynn's hair. Nuada didn't like the look in the child's black eyes.

"Brynn!" Krauss exclaimed, hurrying down the hall with Hellboy in tow. "Give us the child! The purification process must be completed!"

_**Mommy, they hurt me! Mommy they're going to do it again! Save me, Mommy! Save me!**_

Nuada heard this echo through Brynn's and his mind. He saw the worry in Brynn's eyes and the absolute affection she had for the baby, seeing past the evil that had taken hold of the baby's spirit.

"No," Brynn whispered, tearing her gaze away from her child. "You can't have her. Not again, Krauss."

Hellboy stepped forward and looked at her imploringly. "Mama Bird, we just need to put the baby through an exorcism to get rid of all the bad stuff that her grandfather and the Old Angel put in her. It won't hurt her -"

"Liar!" Brynn snarled, recoiling from his outstretched hand. "It hurts worse than labor pains!" She pressed herself past Nuada. "You can't have her!"

Hellboy looked at Nuada and then back at Brynn. Nuada got the poorly communicated message and turned to Brynn. Without a word, he plucked the baby out of Brynn's arms as if he was going to protect it from Hellboy and the others as well. Instead, he passed the baby over to the red demon and ignored the outraged look on Brynn's face.

"Nuada!" she hissed.

"Take the child," Nuada instructed, throwing an arm out to catch Brynn across the chest, preventing her from going after Hellboy. "Remember, if you cannot purify it…"

Hellboy turned his back on the two mates, holding the child close to his body in a firm grip so it wouldn't escape again. "Let's hope it doesn't come to that."

Brynn drew her wings about herself, letting them rustle irritably. "What are you talking about?"

"That is none of your concern, little angel," Nuada commented, turning his head slightly in her direction. "Not quite yet."

The angel tried to go after Hellboy and Krauss as they hurried back down the hall, but Nuada kept her back with him. Little pink crystalline tears fell from Brynn's eyes as she watched the door close.

"They're going to hurt her," Brynn whispered.

"You cannot harm evil, you can only kill it," Nuada stated quietly.

Brynn's eyes narrowed and her wings unfurled, shaking visibly. "Is that what you want to happen? Do you want our daughter to die?"

Nuada looked at her, not understanding this un-rational anger. "You are tired. Little angel, you've been through a great ordeal today…perhaps you should rest."

"I'll rest when I take my baby home."  
"Then you must eat." Even now he could hear her stomach grumbling for food. "How long has it been since you've eaten a full meal, little angel?"

"A week or two…I haven't been able to hold anything down…and I haven't had much of an appetite...but that doesn't matter! I want my baby back! They didn't even let me hold her before they whisked her away the first time…and then you - her father of all people! – took her away from me too!"

Nuada felt his control flee him for a moment under a harsh barrage of Brynn's thoughts. She grabbed onto one of his thoughts and held onto it. Nuada could hear her heart crack with the knowledge of what he had said to his daughter.

"You…you monster!" Brynn exclaimed, backing away from him.

"Little angel, I can explain," Nuada said, reaching a hand out to her.

"There is no need to explain!" Brynn snarled, wrapping her wings around herself. "You want my child dead! Dead!" Tears fell in crimson rivers down her face. "You should have let us remain in Heaven, Nuada Silverlance, if death for her and endless pain for me is what you wanted."

Before the dark elf could respond to that, Brynn had disappeared in a flash of light. Nuada felt her distancing herself from him, but knew that she was still in the compound.

_Time shall be the balm to heal your wounds…_At least, that's what he hoped.

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**A/N: He hopes? Well, that can't mean something good is going to happen, can it? And where was Myers during all of this? You would think he'd love to witness the birth of another angel since it's probably the only time it's gonna happen, but he missed it. So did Nuada, but then again, Nuala was there with Brynn so maybe he saw it through Nuala's eyes. That's kind of distracting when you think about it…**

**I love to get reviews from you all, so please feel free to talk to me through reviews or messages. I check my email regularly, even if I don't check the site regularly, so I know when someone has left a review or message. I promise I won't get mad at you if you dissect my story and give me a bad review. It's something that happens to all writers at one point and I'll admit that this story is flawed. I'm working on repairing the holes and fleshing out characters, so be patient with me, but give me reviews that get my butt working on another chapter in a better way.**

**Thanks for the reviews in advance and I'll see you guys in a couple of weeks at the most. ~ Scarlet**


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N: So I didn't get many reviews for this story, but I'm going to push onward. I hope that you're all reading this and thinking about what you want to say to me. I honestly will answer your reviews if you leave your username on the review page. I won't be mean and I won't be hurt if you criticize my work. I'll actually be happy that you took the time to review me and analyze my writing, so please review me.**

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

The little angel half-breed punched a wall as she threw a fit in an office. She heard an unsatisfying popping sound and then a rush of temporary pain coursed up her arm, telling her she had just broke something. The girl grabbed onto a sign on the desk and saw that it bore Manning's name on it before throwing it aside. With a growl, she knocked everything off the desk, sending papers flying all over the room.

Brynn drew in a sharp breath and kicked the desk, seriously considering the idea of screaming as only angels of death could apparently do. She would have done it too if Manning hadn't shown up in the office.

"What are you doing?" he demanded, hands raised in exasperation. "What have you done?" His gaze turned to the wall of awards and pictures that he had once been proud of. "My awards! Ms. McKae explain yourself!"

"Your men took my baby!" Brynn snapped, glaring at him as she picked up a tall lamp. "I want her back!"

"Of course they took your baby," Manning muttered, approaching her slowly with his hands up where she could see them. "It needs to be purified."

"They'll kill her!" Brynn threw the lamp at a glass wall and watched the wall explode in a shower of glass shards. Her wings rustled irritably and knocked more things all over the room. "They'll kill my baby…"

"No. That's not what will happen. They know what they're doing. The boys will have the evil out of her in no time…" Manning sifted through the papers on the floor. "I had her birth certificate on my desk and now it's gone. Why did you have to destroy my things? You're as bad as the rest of the freaks!"

Brynn turned a cold glare on Manning. "Freak? Did you just call me…a freak?"

Manning paled. "No…No, I said…I said uh, friends! You're as bad as the rest of the friends…"

The Halfling's wings spread open, touching one of the walls at the tip. "Get out."

The director of the Bureau shook his head. "This is my office. You can't kick me out."

Without warning, Brynn flapped her wings, sending hurricane force winds at him, knocking him out of the room. She growled and turned back towards the shelves, grabbing books and throwing them aside in blind anger.

"Brynn," someone said from behind her. "Brynn Leandra McKae, stop this instant."

Brynn dropped the book in her hand and turned around to see her mother standing there. She had more grays in her dark hair than she did a month ago and her gray eyes looked more tired, but they were burning brightly as she looked at her misbehaving little girl. Brynn felt a twinge of guilt for her actions and quickly righted the desk chair for her mother to sit on.

"Mom…" she didn't know what to say. There was so much that needed to be said to her mother about what had gone on that day and how she felt. "I…"

"You're mad," Daria commented, entering the room. "Very mad…but that's no excuse for you to go and destroy Tom's office or to throw him out of the room with your wings. Brynn, you know better than to do that."

"Sorry Mom, but this was not a case where counting backwards from twenty would have helped me calm down. I could count from a million and I still wouldn't have calmed down…" She knocked things out of her path with her foot, kicking the wastebasket so that it was dented and flew across the room. "Not even you can calm me down."

Daria nodded as if agreeing with her. "But you know who could help you calm down, don't you?"

"Mom…"

"No, not me. We've already established that." She smiled and placed her purse on the desk. "God could help you calm down. All you have to do is ask Him to be with you and help you relax. He will help you if you ask of Him."

Brynn stared at her mother as if she was clueless. Daria sighed and sat down behind the desk on the chair. She folded her hands on the desk and looked up at her only daughter.

"Do you ever wonder how you would behave if the Professor was still among the living?" Daria asked, almost thoughtful in her expression. "Would he have allowed you to act like this over something that is being done for the right reasons? What would he have told you to do instead of trashing Manning's office?"

Brynn sighed and fixed another chair, sitting on it. "The Professor would have told me to talk with God as if He was a friend instead of just a heavenly deity. To get my feelings out in the open so that I could process them." She looked down at her neck where the necklace that Nuada had given her rested. "He would have told me to say my Hail Mary's, making me believe that if I just touched the emblem of the Virgin Mary that I would feel better."

"And did it help when you were mad and younger?" Daria inquired.

The angel didn't want to nod, but she had to concede the truth to her mother. "Yeah…it helped me. God helped me calm down then." She cocked her head slightly. "But I don't have a Virgin Mary necklace anymore."

"What did you do with it?"

"I kind of threw it at Nuada and he did God-knows-what with it…" She frowned at her mother. "Did you know that it was a tracking device?"

"Of course I did. The Professor told me that he was going to give you the Virgin Mary necklace because he wanted you to remember where you came from. Since we're Catholic, he thought it was right for you to be protected by Mary…with some help from the Bureau. The Bureau pressured the Professor to let them add a tracking device in the crest so that your every movement could be tracked…He called it a science experiment of sorts."

Brynn felt a flash of annoyance. "Why is it that I always end up as a science experiment?"

"Because you're the first angel-human Halfling, Brynn. You're the first angel to walk on this Earth and make it your home for centuries. The first angel of death that has lived in peace with humanity." She gave a little crooked smile. "Until now."

"Mom…" She sighed and looked away. "I hate the people here."

"No you don't," Daria stated, reaching out to pat Brynn's hand. "You're just mad at them for taking your little Noemi away from you."

"It's not just that. Sure, I'm pissed at a good deal of the Bureau for taking her away from me, but there have been other things…"

"Please explain."

"Myers kissed me when he knew I was taken and he is continuously overprotective of me. And Hellboy pokes fun at me, attacks me, gets me drunk, throws things at me that mess with my soul or my heart, and he took my baby from me. Manning, thinks I'm a freak of nature just because I'm not a pure, do-all-good-and-no-evil angel right out of the Bible. Krauss thinks I'm some huge science experiment and that I should be held up on the highest pedestal of honor next to Hellboy- well, I don't want to be honored! I like being low on the ground where I won't fall to my death! Abe told me to push 'one more time' over and over again and he also let Nuada take me from Heaven, causing this whole mess. And Kendra…she's the one who got me killed in the first place!" She growled. "I hate everyone here."

"Do you hate me?" Daria asked, putting a hand over her heart.

"What? No!"

"Well, I'm overprotective. I poke fun at your relationship with Nuada and at you in general. I sometimes wish you were a do-all-good angel, but you're still my little girl. I'd love to see you soar to new heights with your wings. I gave Abraham my consent to take your child if she was tainted with your father's evil. And I've forgiven Kendra for playing a part in your temporary death state."

Brynn frowned at her mother, digesting what she had just said. Part of her wanted to add Daria to the list of people that she hated, even if her mother always had Brynn's best interest at heart. She didn't want to forgive the others like her mother could so easily do. Brynn wanted to deal a hard hand of pain to her 'friends' and make them feel what she had felt. The pain and loss she felt.

"You forgot about Liz," Daria said after a moment of silence. "You didn't say you hated her."

"It's a well known fact that Liz and I don't get along. I never really liked her and her mood is going downhill even more now that the twins are almost ready to come into the world. She is impossible to like."

"She is not," Daria stated. "I like her. And I know that deep down she has a soft spot for you."

Brynn snorted. "Yeah, right."

"Brynn Leandra McKae," Daria drew in a sharp breath and Brynn was afraid for a moment that her mother was going to yell at her. "You do not know what the people of this Bureau thought, how they felt when they realized you were dead. Everyone was hurting. There were no smiles. There was no laughter. Only pain and overwhelming sadness could be felt in these walls – if you had been here, it would have made you as sick as the Professor's funeral did. Liz was very upset because of how she had left things with you, how you two were arguing with each other when she last saw you alive…She felt horrible for not forgiving you or earning your forgiveness when she had the chance to." Daria fiddled with a ring on her finger. "I want you to forgive her."

"Fine, I forgive her, but that doesn't mean I have to like her." Brynn rose to her feet and stretched her wings for a moment. "Can you live with that?"

"Yes, but can you?"

"What do you mean?" Brynn asked, crossing her arms.

"Don't you remember that when you were a child, you would dislike someone and you'd start feeling sick? The more you disliked them, the worse you felt…Does that ring a bell?"

"Yes, but I've disliked many people in the past few months and I haven't felt sick."

"But you didn't eat much either. When you didn't feel well, you would always stop eating and would lose a few pounds before I could convince you to eat again." Daria eyed Brynn's slightly swollen stomach with concern. "I'm afraid that you haven't been eating well. You're certainly not as big as I was when I was pregnant with you."

"Mom…I don't eat because I'm fat."

"Don't start that again. I always win that argument and you always get mad and walk away in a huff when you lose. You. Are. Not. Fat."

Brynn drew a deep breath in and let it out slowly. She knew her mother was right, like usual, but she didn't want to admit it. She hated admitting when she was wrong.

"Now Brynn," Daria said, standing up. "I expect a few things to happen before today is over. One, I expect you to help clean up Tom's office. Two, I expect you to eat something with protein in it so you don't faint from lack of food. Three, I expect you to speak with Kendra, Abe, and Liz to forgive them. I also expect you to calm down and let the boys explain to you what they're doing to Noemi and why, without you jumping down their throats. And I expect you to pray to our Heavenly Father to get Him to help you through this time of hardship."

"Expecting something and getting it are two completely different things," Brynn muttered, turning her back on her mother. "I don't want to talk to anyone, they're all against me. I don't want to pray because God shouldn't have let me and Noemi come back from Heaven where we were happy. Most of this is His fault and Nuada's."

"The Lord works in mysterious ways, Brynn. Never forget that. I'm sure He had a reason to allow Nuada to bring you back to us. We just have to discover what that reason is." Glass cracked as her mother circled the desk and held something out to Brynn. "For now, pray that He will help you understand why things are happening to you. That's all I ask of you, Brynn."

Brynn let the thing drop into her hand and looked at it. It was a small pouch with a tie on it that had the Professor's hand writing inscribed on it. _Believe, my child, for without belief we'd all be living a lie. _It was a simple saying that he had once told her when she was a child, but she had long forgotten it, pushing it to the back of her mind when his unexpected death happened. With a frown, she emptied the pouch into her hand and a Virgin Mary necklace fell into her hands along with a small folded up note.

"Brynn, I know that one day you will find out that the necklace I gave you was a tracking device. Know that I only gave you that to protect you, but this was the one I originally would have given you. There is no tracking device in this one, just the blessings of one hundred monks. Keep safe and remember where you come from, angels fly." Brynn read off the note aloud. "Geez Professor, did you think of everything?"

OOOOOO

Nuada opened his eyes when he heard heavy footsteps approaching, disturbing his quiet meditations. It was the red demon who had bested him just a few months less of a year ago, Hellboy. The memories Brynn had for that demon were many in number, ranging from childish antics to being attacked by him constantly to teach her the element of defending against surprise attacks. Rarely, the big red creature hurt the angel, but that was something that she had grown to expect, prepared against, and fought back twice as hard. Nuada would personally like to teach the demon a lesson about attacking higher beings.

"You're still here?" Hellboy asked, stifling a yawn. "I thought with the stunt you pulled that Mama Bird would have eliminated from the picture for awhile."

"You are mistaken," Nuada said, rising from his seat on the floor. "Brynn does not eliminate people who do not threaten her. I have discovered that deep in her mind, she knows that the ritual of which you have been casting on the infant is something necessary, even if her heart is against it."

Hellboy ran a hand through his hair and slumped down against a wall, letting out a heavy sigh. "Yeah, about that…"

"Have you failed to purify the child?" Nuada asked, his amber eyes locking on the demon's yellow ones.

"Not exactly, Prince Dark," Hellboy said, patting the pockets of his coat in search of something. "It's just taking longer than they thought because she's so full of evil. If you look through one of the glasses that show the magic crap that humans can't see, you'd notice a large cloud of darkness hovering over the baby. Black, gaseous evil is what Krauss said it was when Abe took over. It's pretty scary to see what that kid does in the binding circle."

Nuada remained silent, thinking. Brynn's thoughts were like a storm of hatred as she moved through the compound, searching for something that Nuada couldn't put a finger on. He just hoped that she would not be foolish enough to disturb the ritual. There was no telling what the cloud of evil would do, where it would disperse to and form. And with Brynn's evil still missing, Nuada was feeling slightly unprepared for another release of evil.

Hellboy sighed again. "I can't help feeling that this is all my fault. When Brynn was little, it was my fault that she touched the dahlia and was cursed with evil. One purification process took four hours and thirteen minutes. Then I threw the dahlia at her and that caused another ritual that lasted five hours and two minutes. Now step into the picture four months ago, she gets put through another ritual because I didn't keep her from getting killed and that one takes six hours and forty-eight minutes." He gestured at the door which he had come from. "And this one is already taking eight hours with no clear end in sight. So blame it all on me. This is my fault."

"As much as it pains me to say it, it is not all your fault, demon." Nuada said, reaching out a tendril of thought to Brynn to let her know that he was still there. She immediately put up a wall, a weak one, but still it was a wall meant to keep him out and he respected her wishes. "There are other forces working in Brynn's life and that of the child. The Devil is down an active, living angel and needs one. Whether it is Brynn or the child, he does not care. I, however, care only for the safety of Brynn. He cannot have her."

"And what about Noemi?"  
"Children are known to leave their parents. I believe it is written in the holy books of humans that a man should love his mate more than his children because she does not leave him but the children do. "

"Yeah, but you're suppose to love your children anyway." Hellboy pointed down the hall. "Brynn cares about you AND Noemi. A mother always cares for her mate, but she loves her children because she's developed a more personal bond with them than she ever did with her mate in that short of a time span. Hell, Brynn knew Noemi longer than she knew you and you turned your back on her. You gave her up like she meant nothing to you. Do you know how much that hurt Brynn?"

"I am attuned to Brynn's feelings. She is merely angered for irrational reasons."

"Everyone knows Brynn's angry, but do you know how hurt she is?" Hellboy looked down at the Prince almost as if he pitied the elf. "Did you see the look in her eyes or hear her heart crack the moment you passed Noemi over to me? Her soul is bleeding for her child and you turned your back to the baby like she's something not worth the air she breathes."

Nuada's face was impassive, but inside he was starting to get angry. For a brief moment, the control he had over his body failed and his hands formed fists. "The child –"

"Has a name and it is Noemi." Hellboy made a face. "You're not worthy of being called a father if you refuse to call you own flesh and blood by her name. Noemi is your first child and I'm sure she would have loved to stay in your arms for a long time, but you don't want her. You aren't worth shit as a father figure."

Nuada was surprised with the way Hellboy was speaking to him. So blunt and crude. Not civilized speech by any meaning of the word. It was like he wanted to shock the dark prince into realizing he was wrong, but Nuada knew he was not wrong. The child was not to be trusted or loved until it was proven that it was on the side of good. Then again, he didn't want to have watch Brynn suffer.

"You would curse its existence if your child came to this world tainted when it should have been pure." Nuada's eyes narrowed slightly. "I do believe your child will be tainted by your demon blood as well as the human blood that flows through both you and your mate."

Hellboy suddenly wore an emotionless mask. Without warning, he punched Nuada in the face, sending him flying back against a wall. Nuada was momentarily stunned and felt the pain of the blow echoed in Nuala.

"Sorry Nuala," Hellboy muttered, rolling his wrist. "But it had to be done."  
Nuada expected Nuala to feel hurt through the bond they shared, but she was calm. She even seemed to accept it and a thought of hers crossed into his mind.

_You deserved it._

"How dear sister?" Nuada asked, stunned that she had appeared to take sides against him again. "Why have you betrayed me again?"

Nuala was silent, returning to her study of a book. Nuada fixed his amber gaze on Hellboy once more to find him looking irritated.

"No one cares about whether or not anyone has human blood in them, it doesn't make the person good, bad, or indifferent. And another thing, my kids may have demon blood in their veins, but at least they'll know they're loved. Which is more than yours can say." Hellboy turned his back on Nuada. "Brynn would have been better off if she had fallen in love with Myers…"

The way he said it made it seem like he was talking to himself, but he said it loud enough for Nuada to hear and for that, Nuada found himself growing angry.

"Demon! The gods fated me to be with Brynn McKae, not her to that weakly human! Do not forget that."

"Then you better start loving your kid because now you're going have to share Brynn's heart with her." Hellboy said no more as he walked back into the room he had left minutes before.

A terrible wail lifted to the air as the door swung shut. Nuada felt his heart clench at the sound of it and turned his back on it. With a start, Nuada realized that the shadows had moved at the end of the hall. Two glowing eyes looked at him and streak of black darted off around a corner, leaving the shadows unmoving.

The dark prince moved after it, but there weren't any shadows around the corner. On the floor was a single raven colored feather tipped in red…

OOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**A/N: Now I'm running on autopilot. Whatever comes to mind gets written down to be edited later. (And my editing process is pretty brief. ): ) I ask for some reviews to help me work out the kinks. What do you expect of this story? What would you like to see happen in the story? Review me and I'll get back to you. Thanks! ~ Scarlet**


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N: Yikes! It's been a long time since I updated this story! I'm so sorry about that, but I can't control it. I have no internet connection at home right now, so I've been working on stories at school. Since I don't have much time there, I can't really work on my stories which means my lovely readers and reviewers don't get their updates…But here's an update for now…**

**OOOOOOOOOO**

Brynn wandered through the hall, feeling drained. Keeping this anger up for hours left her tired, but restless. It had always been this way, but Brynn had ignored it. Now it seemed like there would be no ignoring it again. All she wanted to do was sleep next to her baby and soul mate. She'd been without her soul mate for months and her baby for almost two nights now. And to top it all off, she was starting to feel hungry, but she didn't want to eat.

_**Brynn…**_

The little angel Halfling drew her wings closer to her body, shivering at the sound of the voice in her head. She knew it was not Nuada's or even her own voice. It was a mixture of a child's and Julius'. All she wanted was for it to go back to Hell where it belonged.

_**Brynn McKae…**_

"You won't win me over this time, Julius," Brynn muttered, staring at a door at the end of the hall that never seemed to get any closer as she walked towards it. "I'm not as naïve as I was four months ago…And I'm free of your evil…"

A gust of wind prevented her from moving ahead, instead pushing her back. The angel drew her wings still closer and looked around for the source of the wind. What she saw standing in a door way close by terrified her.

"You're back," she whispered, taking a step closer to the wall, away from the thing in the doorway. "You can't be back…I sent you to Hell! You're in Hell!"

The thing in the doorway did not respond, it simply stared her down with glowing red eyes. She had never seen wings so enormous tipped in that shade of bright crimson. Even her stained wings were not that color. They were so beautiful in a dark way.

Brynn stared harder at the creature in the doorway, finding differences that made her realize something important. "You're not who I think you are …You're not Julius…You're…someone else…"

The creature smirked, flashing perfectly white,, pointed teeth. It beckoned her to come closer and Brynn was almost tempted to answer the beckon. She had never seen anything as alluring as it was or anything so full of evil power…

_Brynn…_

The angel Halfling jumped in surprise as she felt Nuada grow closer, but she didn't tear her eyes away from the creature's glowing red eyes. Suddenly, she found herself craving a masculine touch. Someone to hold her in his arms and distract her for hours at a time…

"Who are you?" Brynn asked, taking a step towards the dark creature. "Please tell me…Maybe I can…" What could she do? Help it? Hadn't she learned her lesson about helping those on the wrong side? But she had given Nuada a second chance…

Brynn saw that it was holding its hand out towards her, long black nails glinting in the light. But in the light it was so dark that Brynn felt fear curl in her stomach. Unconsciously she lifted one of her pale hands and reached out to them…

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Nuada came around the corner and saw that Brynn was reaching out towards an empty doorway. He could feel her unexplainable fear, but could not figure out the source of it. Her memories were closed off to him at that moment, still surrounded by a cloud of anger and restlessness. Brynn didn't even seem to realize that he was there. All that she seemed to care about was what was in the doorway that she appeared to only see.

_This__ unreasonable__ anger__ has __weakened __her__ senses __to__ the __point __that __she __is __seeing __hallucinations_, Nuada thought bitterly, gently touching her shoulder.

She jumped as if shocked, but she didn't look at him. Her hand lowered to her side, empty. Nuada reached behind her and stroked the feathers of her right wing with the buds of his fingers. The angel shivered and relaxed, her eyes turning to him for a moment.

"You were staring into space," Nuada commented, offering her his arm which she promptly crooked her arm through, her hand resting lightly on his forearm. "What, may I ask, were you looking at?"  
"Another angel," Brynn admitted, her brow furrowing as she appeared to struggle with her words. "But…Julius…no…not him…darker…paler…" She shook her head and looked ahead as he escorted her away from the hall. "Two nights…no baby…"

Nuada looked at her in confusion. "Another angel?"

"He was…so beautiful…" She sighed. "I couldn't think around him…all my inhibitions vanished and…" Another heavy sigh escaped her. "I want my…baby and you…" She stopped moving and turned to look at him. "I want you. Now."

Nuada would never admit it but he had wanted her for months. Women were considered off limits for men at certain points of their life though, especially Elven men. There was when they were pregnant, on their monthly cycle, within less than three months of being widowed, betrothed to another man without a challenge being called upon, and for other reasons that were compounded upon each other to keep men from touching women. He could not have her because of the blood. Even now he could smell the unclean blood of Brynn flowing from her…It drove him mad to know that she wanted him as he wanted her, but could not ease her suffering.

"Little angel, you must wait," Nuada ordered in an almost strained voice. "Your body is not ready to handle another joining of our bodies."

Brynn's lips formed a pout that Nuada found himself wanting to kiss away, but he restrained himself. "My body is fine and is telling me that it wants yours, Nuada…"

Nuada held a hand out, keeping her at bay. "Your body is lying to you." His nostrils flared as he took in a sharp breath when their minds joined at the touch of her hand against his. "Little angel, please show some control…I will not touch you for days more."

She sighed and pulled her hand away from him, pulling herself further away. "You don't want me anymore…"

"If that will keep you from entering my bed while you shed the unclean blood of a woman's moon cycle, then believe what you will…I know what I yearn for and what I don't."

Brynn rolled her eyes and looked away from him, her eyes finding something else to follow. "Why did you come for me?"

"Your thoughts withdrew from me," Nuada stated, walking beside her as she started walking down the hall from the direction she had come from. "I sensed you growing tired and your friends wanted you to know that they are done with…the child."

He could not recall ever seeing Brynn's eyes light up like they did when he said that. A huge smile broke out on her lips and she grabbed onto his hands. "Noemi? I can have my baby back?"

Nuada nodded, taken aback by the sudden happiness that burst to life in her mind like a splash of color. It crossed over to his mind and he steeled his mind against it. There would be no happiness for him until he could have Brynn as his own again, but he would not reveal that to Brynn.

Brynn's large wings encircled the two of them and her eye's glowed with a bright blue light. When she pulled her wings close to her body once more, they were on another floor of the compound. She released one of his hands and pulled him through two ornate wooden doors. Nuala looked up from a book she was reading and smiled at Nuada, bowing her head slightly in greeting.

"Where is she?" Brynn asked, barely able to contain the excitement in her voice. "Where is Noemi?"

Nuada's eyes bore into his sister', not unkindly as he was waiting to hear the news himself. Nuala closed her book calmly and walked over to Brynn.

"Brynn McKae," she said, her voice quiet and beautiful as usual. "The ritual was completed early this morning. Your child's purity has been restored, but they did not finish with her until a little while ago…"

"What?"

"Something is different about your child…Abraham would like me to warn you that what you see will surprise you, but know that she is the baby that you bore."

Nuada felt like his hand was going to be crushed by the tightening grip of Brynn, but when she saw Nuala wince, she let go of his hand and moved forward. Nuala's soft amber eyes turned to the spiral staircase at the back of the library and Nuada heard her mind whisper Abraham's name.

Moments later, Abe appeared at the top of the staircase, someone little by his side, draped in a cloak. Hellboy appeared off to the side, a cigar between his lips. Nuada felt the demon's hateful gaze on him, but he ignored it. All he cared about now was the angel Halfling that was his soul mate.

Abe came to a stop at the foot of the stairs, an extremely pale hand clutching three of his fingers. His large blue eyes appeared to be sad and joyful at the same time, hiding mysteries that would soon be revealed.

"Abe, where's my baby?" Brynn asked, looking at him. "Where's Noemi?"

The cloaked figure beside him moved restlessly. "Mommy, I'm right here," it said, a soft lilt rather like Nuala's on the voice of the child.

Nuala walked over and gently lowered the cloak's hood…

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Brynn recognized the cloak as one she used to wear when she was a child. She remembered how it was the only warm thing she could conceal her wings under, but now it was covering a child she knew and didn't know. Her child, Nuada's child.

There was the soft silver-blonde hair, the very pale skin, and the dark eyes she remembered. But what she didn't understand was how her baby had become a toddler in two nights. The child moved restlessly under the cloak and her fingers kept squeezing Abe's fingers. Brynn was entranced by the movements, the gleam of the light in her child's hair. So entranced she almost forgot to breathe.

"Noemi?" Brynn whispered, crouching down.

"Mommy?" the child responded, squirming as Nuala offered her hand.

Nuala took the child by the hand and helped guide her over to Brynn. Brynn wanted to laugh at the sight of her baby walking awkwardly over to her. Noemi almost fell twice but

Nuala kept her hand lightly held in her own. Brynn reached for her child and the angel-human-elf hybrid lunged into her arms.

Crimson tears fell from Brynn's eyes as she hugged her child, holding her in her arms as she had been denied for two nights. It felt wonderful to hold finally hold someone who was hers, someone love had created from a stubborn elf and a confused angel-human hybrid. Finally, she could live in this world in peace.

"Noemi, let me look at you," Brynn ordered gently, pulling back from her daughter for a moment. "Let me see your pretty little wings."

Noemi suddenly looked worried and stepped away from her mother. "Mommy, no!"

Brynn watched in bewilderment as her daughter hid behind Nuala's skirt. "Noemi? Did I say something wrong?"

Nuala shook her head and placed a gentle hand on top of Noemi's head. "No, Brynn. Noemi is just upset when people mention her wings because she does not like them the way they are." The gentle elf looked down at Noemi. "Noemi, please let your mother see your wings."

"No!" Noemi wailed, shaking her head. "No!"

Brynn watched as Nuada moved past her and approached the child. He moved to stand in front of his sister and touched the child's shoulder, grabbing the fabric of the cloak. Noemi wailed as he pulled off her cloak and covered her face with her hands as if ashamed. Brynn frowned when she Nuada moved out of the way so she could see her daughter's wings.

"They're…black," Brynn whispered, straightening. _Like__the__angel__I__saw__… _"I don't understand…I thought you removed all of the evil spirits from her. Abe?"

Krauss stepped forward instead. "Now Miss McKae, we did remove the evil from your baby. However, just like your wings, the stain of evil is not easy to remove. Therefore, Noemi has black wings."

Noemi buried her face in Nuala's skirt and her little black wings rustled restlessly. Brynn shifted her wings ever so slightly to look at them. She had noted earlier that her wings still hadn't returned to the beautiful white they had been before she had died, but she had assumed that the red stain would fade in time and they would return to pristine white. It appeared not to be the case, but Brynn had hoped that Noemi wouldn't have to face something so horrible compared to what she had in Heaven.

"Noemi," Brynn said, her eyes softening. "Noemi, don't be sad. Your wings are beautiful, no matter what color they are…I love you and your father, he…" She hesitated at the sidelong glance Nuada sent her way. "We're a family. We'll stick together even if our wings are different colors." A smile appeared on her lips. "Don't you know that black is one of my favorite colors?"

The child peered sheepishly at her mother. "Really?"

"Yes. Noemi, just think, your father doesn't have wings and if he did, I bet they'd be black."

Hellboy snorted. "Just like his heart…"

Brynn shot Hellboy a hard look just as Nuada did. "Noemi, will you please come back to me?"

Noemi peered up at Nuala hesitantly, but nodded. She turned and ran over to Brynn, her arms encircling the older angel's legs. Brynn reached down carefully and pulled her daughter into her arms. Noemi nuzzled her head against Brynn's shoulder and reached out a small hand, touching Brynn's right wing.

"Mommy, you're wings are pretty," Noemi whispered in a sing-song voice. "Pretty white and red…I love you."

Brynn smiled slightly, but she felt a cold, distant wall keeping her from sharing her thoughts with Nuada. Her smile fell as she looked over at him. "I will love you forever…"

The doors to the library suddenly burst open. Kendra burst wildly into the room and looked around as if unsure of where she was. Blood spattered her white dress and her eyes were glowing dully. Brynn turned away from her as if to shield her child from the sight. Kendra stumbled forward, her hand held out as if to ward off some great evil.

"Kendra!" Krauss exclaimed, walking forward. "What do you see?"

"Another…another angel," Kendra whispered, running a blood covered hand through her hair. "A fallen angel…dark, dark powers…coming, no! ...already here…so dark…" She looked around wildly, seeing without seeing anything. "Wants…wants…to take what is…his…."

"What is his, false Oracle?" Nuada demanded, looking at her coolly.

Kendra raised her bloodied hand slowly and pointed at Brynn. "Her…the one who conquered death…just as he did…" She shook her head. "So very dark…broken bodies…death…blood! Oh the blood!" She swayed as if about to fall over, but steadied herself. "So much blood…there's no stopping it…unless…"

Brynn really hated that word. It usually meant something bad when coming from Kendra. _Unless_meant that someone was going to have to fight the damned monster of the month, which would make them get hurt or worse, die. The only one who seemed good at the not dying part was Hellboy and even he had almost perished with the last 'angelic' battle.

Hellboy held up a hand, his rock hand. "Don't say it, Rhetorical. Don't say anything…unless it has something to do with natural disasters…that you can tell Manning. But we aren't going to hear that Brynn has to intervene on behalf of the world again. We just aren't going to hear it."

Kendra stared blankly at Hellboy as if just realizing that he was there. A sudden calm passed over her face and Brynn felt a surge of power course through the room.

"Anung un Rama, silence…" she spoke in a voice that echoed with another female's and a male's voice. "All that you know will cease to exist once the outcast, blackened evil of Brynn McKae's heart reunites with her spirit. The evil will feed on the evil of the newborn child that you so foolishly released from its angelic prison…The End Days will begin soon unless the evil in its new form is defeated…a weakening bond is mended…and the heroes rise as one against the evil…"

Brynn heard Noemi whimper and patted her on the back soothingly. "Kendra, if this is some kind of joke, it's not funny."

Kendra's eyes locked onto Brynn and the child. "_We_ never joke…the End Days start with you and end with him…" She pointed at Hellboy without casting him another glance. "Heed the warning, prepare against it and perhaps you will avoid the End Days for now…"

Kendra turned as if pulled on a string and started walking away, leaving bloody footsteps behind. She stopped at the doorway and turned, her eyes suddenly confused. "HB, I think I died…"

With that odd statement, she faded out of sight as she walked out of the doors.

"I say, that does not sound good at all," Krauss muttered, walking towards the doors.

Brynn felt a sudden wave of nausea hit her and she had to set Noemi down. "Someone's dying…and people…a few of them are dead…"

"Kendra?" Nuala asked, uncertain.

"I don't know." Brynn suddenly looked alarmed. "Don't touch that Noemi!"

Noemi quickly withdrew her hand from the bloody footprint on the floor, hiding her blood covered hand behind her back. "Sorry Mommy."

"Where are you going?" Brynn demanded, watching Nuada walk away from them into the shadows. "You can't leave."

"Am I a suspect in the deaths of these humans and Oracle?" Nuada asked calmly, his eyes turning to her and only her.

"No, but I'm sure you'd love to be," Brynn mumbled the last part, turning her back on him.

"You wound me, little angel."

"I'll do much more than that if you don't come back with answers…"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Nuada appeared outside the scene of the crime. He didn't recognize the large room that he now stood outside, but he knew it had been of great importance to Brynn not more than half a year ago when she was still friends with Kendra. The prince breathed in a rusty smell and grimaced at the stench of death. Humans had shed their blood in this place.

The dark elf slid into the room and saw the blood on the walls and floors. People were milling about, taking photos and taping out silhouettes of the people who had fallen. Nuada counted six bullet holes in the walls, none of which seemed to have been any use to the men who had created them. There were six silhouettes on the floor where men, without their heads, lay in blood. Hellboy and a group of other men stood blocking the bed which had been shoved to the back of the room, preventing prying eyes from finding the horror that lay on it.

"You shouldn't be here, Silver-pants!" Hellboy growled, pointing at him with his cigar. "If I hadn't seen you in the library with the rest of us, I'd swear you did this."

Nuada threw the demon a cool look. "Demon, do you really believe that your human friends would have had time to withdraw their weapons if I had been the one to attack them?" His eyes turned to the silhouettes on the floor for a moment as men in black suits carried off another decapitated body. "They would not have been prepared for an attack at my hands. Nor would I have removed their heads…desecrating their bodies…"

Hellboy rolled his eyes. "Don't go and act pitiful like that. You hate humans, right?"

"Yes Demon, I hate humans…"

"So don't act like you give a damn about these people!" Hellboy ordered, turning his back on the dark prince. "They mean nothing to you."

"They meant something to Brynn," Nuada stated, crossing the remaining distance towards the bed. "As did the Oracle…"

Hellboy turned to face Nuada. "You have no right to be here."

Nuada ignored him and moved around the people until he got a glimpse of Kendra's hair, hanging limply on the blood stained bedcovers. "The Oracle…does she live?"

"For now," Krauss said, his mouthpiece clicking and the mist in his hood swirling slowly. "If she does not receive prompt medical treatment…we will have to find another Oracle."

"Good thing Rhetorical has dozens of children," Hellboy muttered, moving aside to let some medically trained people through. "Now get out of here Prince Dark or I'll knock that pretty head of yours off."

Nuada pretended not to hear that and reached through the crowd around the bed, spotting something sticking out of the Oracle's hand. His fingers brushed against her still warm, lavender flesh and gently pulled the object out. In his hand now lay a black and red feather, slightly longer than some of Brynn's feathers, the red so much brighter, deeper like freshly oxygenated blood. Nuada felt the cold weight of it – it was heavier than normal feathers and he attributed that with the fact that it had come from some creature of evil.

_Another angel…_

"Don't tamper with the evidence bub," Hellboy ordered, snatching the feather out of Nuada's hand. "The boys in the lab will probably want to test that to see what kind of monster we're up against."

"Ask yourself this question, Demon," Nuada commented, watching the shadows shift behind the people milling about the room. "Are you prepared to find out what monsters lay in the place you call sanctuary?"

Nuada turned and walked away, leaving Hellboy and the others to their thoughts.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**A/N: What a gloomy way to end the chapter, right? This story is starting to make my head hurt because I've made promises to work on other stories from years ago – making sequels to them – and…I've failed to do it. So, give me some patience for that and for my no internet connection at home. I'll do my best to get back to you in a prompt manner, so please feel free to review. Thanks! ~ Scarlet**


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: So, I think I've only received one review for the last chapter. This depresses me because it tells me that I'm a horrible writer and no one is really interested in helping me make this an awesome story. Character deaths may ensue from this point on. I'm just in a very depressed mood right now…and it's not all your fault so don't worry about me…On with the story!**

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

Brynn stared at a wall, listening to her daughter learn a song from Nuala two days after Kendra's attack. She couldn't bring a smile to her face. Not when so much death loomed over them like a horrible cloak. It wasn't the time for smiles anyway. There was a great evil among them, hidden in the place she had thought of as both a sanctuary and a prison. Apparently, this evil wanted her, but for what she wasn't exactly sure.

_But it's not Julius…It's not him because if it was him, he would have come out of the shadows when Kendra was spouting out about the evil because he seemed like a gloater…Why is it always me though…why does everything bad lately happen because of me?_

_**Brynn…**_

Brynn looked up at the spiral staircase that led up to the second level of the library. Something dark was lurking up there, she could feel it in her bones. Brynn stood up slowly, letting her wings stretch a little.

_**Brynn…**_

"Shining in the sun…spirits full of grace…dancing golden angels…flying through heavenly space…"

Brynn blocked out the singing and focused on the voice that was echoing in her head. She put her hand on the railing of the staircase and drew her hand back when she felt something cold and wet. A glance down at her hand, left her sad. There was blood on her hand, deep red blood that reminded her of the wings of the angel she had seen in the lower levels of the compound. It brought back the memory of Nuada running her through with his spear and the scene she had witnessed through Nuada's eye, but for once…those images didn't bother her.

She started up the stairs slowly, each movement feeling agonizingly heavy and slow, but slightly seductive. It puzzled her how that made any sense, but a heavy cloud of peace fell upon her as she walked up the stairs, blotting away her uncertainty.

_Brynn…_

Brynn ignored Nuada's voice, almost too easily. His voice was faint to her ears just like the little voice that warned her that this was not a good idea – that something was wrong about this picture. Brynn turned her head slightly, hearing Nuada running towards the library from the shadows in which he had taken to hiding from the others. (They knew he was there, they just didn't know where.) Her face was touched by a ghostly hand, gently turning her face to look back up the stairs. The ghostly hand was cold, draining the heat from her face before sliding away, gently encouraging her to climb the stairs.

Nuada had never been gentle with her or had rarely been. Brynn had only been treated gently by him when she was dead and could not remember his gentleness because she hadn't been aware of her body at that point. Not even the images that Nuala shared with her could make her aware of the gentleness Nuada had showed to her.

But here was this invisible force, gently urging her forward and making her uncertainty vanish. It had been there, waiting for her for a long time, she could feel that in her bones. That force needed her as much as she needed…

_Little angel…Do not go any further!_

_**Come…**_

Brynn took another step up the stairs. Then another. She didn't understand how this was taking so long, but maybe that was the point. Maybe she had to be patient to see this invisible force. To find the one who had been gentler than her dark elf lover. Brynn took another step and lifted her eyes to the second level of the library.

"Brynn McKae!" Nuala's concerned voice cried out from below.

"Mommy!" Noemi wailed and Brynn was vaguely aware of the sound of running feet below, but she didn't stop moving.

Brynn stepped across the landing and walked onto the second floor. Standing back in the shadows of a shelf was the angel she had seen earlier. His wings were tucked closely to his body, but could not hide their incredible size. His eyes, dark and luminous, looked at her from beneath hard brows and his hair was long and unkempt. Brynn tucked her wings close to her body and took a hesitant step towards him.

"Who are you?" she asked.

_**I am Legionnaire of the Fallen…**_

"You…you hurt my friend… and killed others…" Brynn ran a hand through her hair, nervously. "Everything you've done and everything you stand for calls for me to hate you, to fear you…but I don't…"

Legionnaire was silent. Brynn felt another powerful wave of energy course through the room, brushing away all of the cluttering thoughts of moments before. Brynn only knew that there was a darkly attractive sense to this wild creature before her.

"I…I can't," Brynn realized, taking another step towards him. "Legionnaire, why can't I hate or fear you?"

_**You can't hate yourself or fear what you have created…**_

Brynn watched as the patch of darkness surrounding Legionnaire, expanded and started coming towards her as he approached her with soundless footsteps. Brynn shivered at the cold that emanated from him. She heard the death cries that came with him, the sad stories of his life's misdeeds, and she felt sickened by it, but oddly energized.

"All those poor people…"

_**Were fated to die…**_

Brynn could see her breath coming out in a little cloud in front of her face. She was chilled, but felt all too warm. There was something she needed from this angel, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

_**By your hands, worlds will crumble and a new world will rise from the ashes…as it has always done for the angels of death who beget a fallen angel…**_

Brynn saw that he was offering his hand to her, but she did not know what it meant. To shake the hand of the Devil's child was something she had never asked about, never heard a reason to not do it. Legionnaire seemed so sure that it was the right thing to do, his hand outstretched towards her in a welcoming gesture.

"Little angel, no!" Nuada snarled, appearing by her side with his spear drawn.

Brynn snapped out of her train of thought in time to see Legionnaire pulsate with a red light and vanish when Nuada threw the spear at him. A sudden heavy feeling descended upon her shoulders as she stared at the back of her fated mate, knowing that something wrong.

"Little angel, do you realize how close you came to losing yourself once more?" Nuada demanded, pulling his spear out of the wall where it had struck it, but he did not turn around to face her.

"Nuada…I am…"

"Still a child, not yet ready to be without an overseer," Nuada muttered bitterly, turning a heated amber eye upon her. He pointed behind her. "Look. You have made your child weep in fear."

Brynn turned and saw that Noemi was hugging Nuala's leg, tears and snot running down her face in torrents. She started towards the child, but the child wailed louder and hid behind Nuala's skirt. Brynn stopped moving and looked at the floor, her wings sagging in her sadness.

"Nuada…I did nothing," Brynn whispered, turning to face him once more. "Nothing out of line…nothing to earn this hate and anger from you. Why are you so angry with me?"

"Nothing…" Nuada repeated as if he could not believe what he was hearing. "Has your human nature addled your brains, dear angel, that you do not know the seriousness of your actions?"

Brynn felt a flash of irritation. "I don't see why I can't talk to someone who needs help –"

"That creature does not need your help," Nuada declared, glaring at her. "All it wants is your soul to corrupt…That is the creature who has hurt your friends and tortured your soul…"

"Nuada…"

"Do you not remember the agony that you felt when your friends cast you into a sacred circle and spoke from ancient tomes, drawing out the evil that had been harbored in your soul?"

Brynn winced as the memories flashed before her eyes, creating a phantom ache in her body. She tried to force the thoughts aside, but Nuada kept them in place, showing her the horrors of her exorcism…

"Please Nuada…"

"That creature you showed care for came from the evil of your soul…It knows your every thought, everything that you've longed for…" His eyes burned into hers as he grew so close to her that she could feel his breath on her face. "It knows your fears, dear little angel, and it will exploit them. Your fear of heights…"

Brynn gasped as she realized that the floor was no longer at her feet. Nuada held her over the railing of the library, one hand holding onto her forearm. Brynn knew it was just a mental image, but it felt so real.

"Please…stop…"

Nuada grabbed her, his fingers gripping her arms so tightly that she could feel her muscles starting to bruise. "The fear of dying again…"

Brynn cried out when he showed her different, cruel images of her death. There was no peaceful moment of slipping away in her sleep as she had the first time she died. Just cruel, harsh images of painful deaths to be.

"Or being completely isolated, trapped in this gilded cage you call sanctuary," Nuada whispered, the images coming from him grew colder, sharper-edged. Brynn could feel them cutting into her, slicing away the layers of comfort she had felt when around Legionnaire.

"Please Nuada, no more…please…" Brynn begged, closing her eyes, but it did little to block out the images. She had forgotten how dark his mind had grown in the years of his exile. "Please, my love, no more please…"

Nuada's grip on her eased and Brynn felt him draw in a slow, cleansing breath. She trembled in his arms and mentally flinched as he lifted a hand to brush back a strand of hair that had fallen in her face. Brynn drew in a shaky breath and looked up at him, hesitantly.

"Nuada, how can your love for me be so cruel?" she asked before pulling herself out of his grasp and rushing down the stairs.

OOOOOOOO

Nuada stared after his mate as she rushed out of the library, not noticing his sister or his child for a moment. He could feel the same question echoed on Nuala's lips, for she had witnessed the same horrors as Brynn through his united connection with her. Her mind was washed with sadness as she looked at him and Nuada's eyes cast downward for a moment, eyeing the little girl who clutched at Nuala's skirts in fear.

"Sister, speak what is on your mind," Nuada said, his eyes returning to his sister's face.

"You know, dear brother, what is on my mind," Nuala whispered, her soft voice full of sadness. "Tonight you made the angels weep in terror and ever growing sadness. You should not worry of me, dear brother, but of your dear mate. You promised the Old One that you would protect Brynn McKae's heart, but you have broken it."

"In times of war, a mate must be cruel to be kind," Nuada commented, his eyes searching for Brynn's face, even though he knew he would not see it in the library as long as he was there.

"Perhaps you were cruel to be cruel…" Nuala's eyes turned to the child as she stooped to pick Noemi up. "Your fated mate's heart weeps now, searching for a love that will not hurt it. The angel you caught her with, spoke to her heart, Brother. It made her feel safe from all fears and concerns, but you – the one who is supposed to love her beyond all – have thrust upon her horrible images of her fears. Do you not know how it wounds her?"

Nuada nodded and looked at his sister once more. "It wounds me, Sister, to know that I have inflicted unwarranted harm to your heart and that of my fated mate's."

Noemi peered at him as if expecting him to say something to her. Nuada hardened his heart against that child, knowing that she was the reason of the distance between him and Brynn. She stuck her tongue out at him as Brynn once had and Nuada realized that he saw more of Brynn in that cursed child than he did of himself. Neither one of them had given her the dark eyes she wore in her face though, which made him wonder further about the stain of evil on her soul.

"What wounds you inflicted upon her heart may cause the divide between you and your fated mate to grow," Nuala said quietly. "And Brother, it will be by your own hand that this happens."

Nuala turned her back on him and walked down the stairs, soundlessly. Nuada saw Myers standing off to the side on the ground floor with what could be considered a triumphant gleam in his eye.

_What__ evils __lurk __in __the __hearts __of __these __wretched__ humans,__now __that __a__ great __force__ of __evil __has __begun __its __vile __deeds? _Nuada wondered, slipping back into the shadows from which he had come.

OOOOOOOOOOOO

Nuada approached the room where Brynn had found for herself in the compound. She sat on the bed, tears of pale crimson rolling down her face. It had been several hours since she had left him back in the library, but time did not seem to be the balm for the fresh wounds he had inflicted upon her heart and soul.

"Nuada…" She turned her face away from him, wiping bitterly at the tears that fell from her eyes like pale gemstones. "Why do you have to be so cruel to me? What have I done to deserve such cruelty from you, the man who claims my heart?"

Nuada was silent as he crossed the room, but his mind was in action. He reached out comforting tendrils of thought, brushing them lightly against the wounds that he had inflicted upon her earlier that day. Brynn recoiled from his touch and climbed off the bed, backing towards the far wall. Like a wild animal trapped in a corner, she stood waiting for him to come at her with angry words that would cut into her again, but Nuada had no more cruel words to say. None that he would voice to her by his lips or by his thoughts.

"Little angel, please do not run from me in fear," Nuada whispered, approaching her slowly so he wouldn't startle her. "Let me explain why I uttered those cruel words and cut you down with the cruel images of your terrors."

Brynn stared at him blankly, the crimson rivers not ceasing to fall. "You are a cruel man, hardened by war, hate, and death. That is all that needs to be known."  
Nuada shook his head and held out a hand, silently asking her to take hold of it. "Little angel, I am hardened by war…the hate of humans and the deaths I have created with my hands have indeed hardened my heart. Yet, little angel, I have grown softer with each day that passes by since I have met you…It is something I fear will destroy all that I have ever known."

"Fear?" Brynn let out a strangled laugh. "What do you know of fear?"

Nuada brushed his finger tips against her face, her eyelids fluttering at the gentle touch, but not closing completely. "Fear…I know a great deal more of the hated emotion more than you do, dear angel. I have witnessed it in the times of the great battles between the Unseen Realm and the hollow-hearted humans…so many children lost their parents, turning their fearful gaze up to the warriors who had slaughtered their father, their mother…The ground stained red as many Fae shed their blood amongst the humans…" His eyes saddened. "I have seen the fear of human children as they stared up at me, huddling their bodies close together with the stain of blood on their dirty, frail bodies…they did not know if I would spare them or send them to their Creator…"

_Did you…?_

Brynn's thought bubbled to the surface for a brief moment before she submerged it back into the recesses of her mind. She lowered her gaze, staring at a spot on his chest as if she was unable to face the answer, no matter what it happened to be. Nuada sighed and looked up at the heavens like he wished God would show him mercy for his past deeds.

"I was like a wrathful spirit in those times," Nuada whispered, placing his hands on her arms just below her shoulders. "I knew that the human children would soon grow into human adults who would greedily take more from the Earth than they needed…They would soon forget their fear of our people and destroy Fae villages their fathers had laid waste to in their life…" His eyes lowered, seeking hers. "I did not kill the young…the children of the humans I had killed, I did not kill…I saw Fae children in their place, the fear in their eyes and I could not…I could not wet the Earth with the blood of its children…For what kind of man slaughters the young and unarmed?"

Brynn's eyes lifted, looking into his for a brief moment. Nuada saw that her sadness remained, felt his heart echo hers in its dull ache. Brynn held up her hand hesitantly, offering it to him to take though it trembled as if she still feared a cruel backlash of emotions from him. Nuada gently pressed his palm against hers and took hold of her hand, his eyes holding her gaze as he tried to express how he felt at that moment.

His little angel accepted his apology in the old language with only a moment's hesitancy. It surprised him at the relief he felt when she accepted the comfort he was offering for his earlier transgression. She didn't keep hold of her fear of his cruelty when he swore by the gods to never be that cruel to her again. She released it, asking for her Heavenly Father to take it away and keep it away from her.

"Nuada…" she breathed, her eyes briefly looking at his lips before meeting his gaze again.

The dark prince brushed away the tears on her face with a thumb, cupping her face with one hand. His lips brushed over hers softly and she stilled tasted as sweet as he remembered. It was hard for him not to demand more from her then after all the time he had spent without her. His body called for him to touch her, to take her as his own again, but he did not do more than kiss her because now was not the time for him to give into carnal pleasures.

"Nuada," she whispered when he rested his forehead against hers, breathing in his scent as he breathed in hers. "Get me out of this place…"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**A/N: So this chapter may be a little shorter than others and I'm completely neglecting Noemi. Characters are all lined up in front of a firing squad, waiting to see who will be…well, fired from this story. Darker chapters await in the dark recesses of my mind.**

**Please**** review ****me****…****That**** is**** all ****I****'****m**** asking ****for ****right ****now****… ****from**** you ****anyway.****Thanks ****in**** advance. ~ ****Scarlet**** deprimido. ****:(**


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: I've been neglecting this story for a few reasons. One is because I've lost the enthusiasm I had for writing this story. Another is because I'm still sore from the flames backlash. And another is because my Nuada Muse has fled. I'm so scatter brained these days that I can't do anything for too long or my mind loses focus.**

**Still, I think I should give you guys a late Christmas present and update this story just once before the New Year…**

**WARNING: Implied character death…**

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Brynn walked quickly beside Nuada, who held her hand tightly in his own. It was as if he was afraid that she might slip away, become lost to him if he loosened his grip for even just a moment. She did not complain, she needed this tactile pain to connect herself to this world. With so much death and evil around, Brynn was starting to think that she'd never feel any better if she couldn't leave this place, this prison she had once viewed as a sanctuary.

"Nuada…" she whispered, suddenly remembering something that made her jerk to a stop. "Nuada, what about Noemi?"

Nuada cast a glance over his shoulder at her before pulling her forward. "The child is not to come with us. To fetch her now would cause the others to come after us." He saw the pained look in Brynn's eyes. "You must realize that this is the right thing to do, little angel. The child will be safe here. The fallen angel only wants you…without your presence here…"

"Noemi and the others will be safe," Brynn realized quietly, allowing him to pull her through the shadows of the compound. "We'll find a way to destroy Legionnaire…right?"

The dark elf prince was silent. Brynn felt a cold chill settle over her shoulders as she walked across from a door. She stopped moving, yanking her hand from Nuada's grip and stared at the door. This room, she felt, was familiar to her though she couldn't remember how.

"Little angel?" Nuada turned to watch her place a hand on the door to the room. "We must leave this place."

Brynn ignored him and closed her eyes, focusing her energies on the door. "Someone is in there…someone in pain…"

She pulled her hand away from the door and touched the handle. Like the cold chill that had settled over her shoulders, the doorknob was cold to the touch, leeching the warmth from her hand. Brynn turned it slowly and pushed open the door, bracing for a backlash of cold energy that never came.

Kendra lay on the metal table of the room, her chest rising and falling slowly with each shallow breath that she took. Her hair, which was usually seen moving around her face on its own accord, now lay limply around her head, cushioning it like a pillow. Her pale lavender skin was even paler than Brynn remembered and the Oracle was attached to many machines, a green light positioned over her so that she was bathed in the earthy green color. Her dress was stained with blood from wounds that Brynn couldn't imagine seeing on one of her friends.

"Oh Kendra," Brynn sighed, walking into the room and looking down at her friend. "What did you do to deserve such a punishment?"

Kendra was silent, unmoving and deathlike.

Brynn looked up at the green light, squinting against the brightness of it. She remembered a green light hovering over her when she was younger, but she couldn't remember the reason for it. She placed her hand under the green light and felt a gentle, cool feeling spreading through her hand. Where her knuckles had been bleeding from pounding them against a wall, the skin mended.

"A healing lamp?" She looked up at the light once more and frowned. "I don't understand…what connection is there to this room and me?"

Nuada stepped into the room, keeping out of the glow of the green lamp. "Little angel, you do not remember?"

Brynn stared at him blankly. "Remember what?"

Nuada sighed and looked at the angel half-breed. "When you were thirteen summers old, your noble wings took you too close to a building of concrete and metal, destined to be destroyed that very minute…" His amber eyes betrayed sadness for a moment. "You flew into the building just as the dynamite exploded…It buried you under concrete, metal, and the gods knows what else…These people who you call friends put you under this light to bring you back to health. The foolish humans erased your memories of the event and put the fear of heights into your brain, so that that incident would not happen again."

Brynn frowned. "How…how do you know this if I can't remember it?"

"I have had plenty of time to spare in this underground fortress of concrete and steel," Nuada explained, his eyes looking down at the unmoving Oracle for a moment. "The humans that protect you have performed many experiments with the ancient magic of this earth and have kept detailed accounts of all the old beings that they have encountered, those blessed with many gifts that none understand."

Brynn's eyes sought his again and captured them, holding his gaze again. "Accounts of old beings? Like Hellboy?"

Nuada nodded. "And you, little angel. They have recorded your death and resurrection with scribbled notes of fear from the return of a darker evil than they have faced before…They make note of the child, Noemi, and how her stain of evil is less dominant than yours despite the darkened coloration of her plumage. They speak of what the child is. These humans you are allied with have recorded everything."

Brynn's eyes narrowed and she stormed from the room. "New plan…I'm going to see these files." She saw that Nuada was about to open his mouth to change her mind, she could see it in his eyes. "We can leave after I see the files. No one will stop us. If I have to, I'll just do the teleporting thingy that I did before. Please Nuada…I just want answers."

Nuada silently studied her face for a moment. "Very well."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Brynn's eyes widened as she turned the pages of the files about her and her mother. The Bureau had been made aware by the Oracle that Daria was courting an angel over nineteen years ago. They had snapped many photos of a great light shining in Daria's house, though it sometimes pulsed with a dark black edge. They kept track of everything that had gone on in that house using technology that was well beyond their time, but on the fourth month, the house was leveled by supernatural powers. Daria had been found amongst the rubble, dazed and had admitted everything to the Bureau investigators. On her person had been several ultrasound photos – seen in the file – which was the evidence that the Bureau had been hoping for.

_The child is no longer than twenty inches and no heavier than five pounds…The heart beats much slower than that of a normal infant…Thick dark hair and blue-gray eyes…The wings, the only visible trace of her birthfather, are pure white and have a wing span of forty-two inches in infanthood… _Brynn's eyes wandered over the pages of the Professor's notes about her first days. _It is unclear what kind of angel that she is…The mother, Daria, has named her, "Brynn Leandra" to which the baby now responds with a smile…The baby appears to be very intelligent…_

_Daria came to me in tears after a few days with the Brynn…She claimed to have been given an evil present from the angel she had sexual intercourse with…The gift was a dahlia that the angel had wanted Brynn to be given when she was three…Daria refused to touch it with her bare hands and the instant she set it down on a table, the room chilled by a considerable amount…I asked for it to be destroyed so that the child would never be faced with this tactile evil…_

"But it wasn't destroyed," Brynn muttered, flipping ahead a few pages. "Why wasn't it destroyed?"

_The Bureau wished to keep the dahlia to study over the years out of the reach of Brynn…For such a pure creature to suffer under the curse of evil…We could not bear the idea…but the dahlia still exists and even my own son does not wish to touch it…_

_It is an odd sight to see Hellboy with Brynn. Never before has the boy found something so precious to him…He keeps an eye on the baby and promises to keep her safe from harm…It may be his goal to prove that he can be good...I have no doubt that he will._

Brynn closed the file and tossed it aside, heaving a great sigh. Nuada turned to look at her, in his hand was another file. It looked newer, less handled. She held her hand out for it, but Nuada kept it away from her.

"Nuada!" she hissed, keeping her voice low just in case someone heard someone heard her. "Don't play games with me…I'm in search for answers. All the answers."

"Some questions are better left unanswered," Nuada said, his eyes hiding the answers behind a wall that Brynn could not break through. "Please, little angel, do not seek anymore answers here. We must leave now before your friends come."

Brynn pushed him against the wall and held him there by the throat. "Do _not _tell me what to do, Nuada!" she hissed, her eyes glowing slightly. "Have you forgotten that I'm still an angel of death and therefore I outrank you, my prince?"

"Yet you seem like such a child," Nuada whispered,his amber eyes burning into hers.

Brynn released him and plucked the file out of his hands when his grip went lax. She saw that her name and Noemi's were listed on the file and opened it, flipping past records of Noemi's weight and length at different stages of Brynn's pregnancy and a copy of her birth certificate. "You would think that they would have upgraded to digital files…well, that's stupid people for you…"She hesitated as she looked at the elegant scrawl of Abe, words jumping out at her as she scanned the notes. "What?"

_Noemi Arianna McKae has been found to be possessed by three demons, each more terrible than the first…Upon exorcism, she was freed of these demons, which were sent into a few of Hellboy's blind cats and immediately drowned themselves in small bodies of water. Sadly, the child was not able to handle life without the demons and lost her life…_

_Within five minutes, we were able to revive her, but she had undergone a drastic change…Rather than returning to her infantile state, she experienced a rapid acceleration of growth and age. Currently Noemi has reached the age of three, but this is not the only change that occurred…_

_Noemi, unlike her mother who is an angel of death hybrid, is a fallen angel-elf hybrid. (The mark of her human nature from her mother has been found less dominant and removed from her person.) She fell twice from Heaven, once when her mother fell and then again upon the completion of the exorcism. Brynn may not be able to detect the change because the agents who taught her, have only revealed four types of angels to her – cherubs, angels of death, fallen angels, and seraphim – of which the fallen angels and angels of death are very closely linked. I highly doubt Brynn will question this once she bonds with the child once more…_

"N-Noemi died?" Brynn whispered, her hands shaking. "And she came back as…" She looked at Nuada with wide eyes. "Did you know that…she had none of my…that she wasn't part human or part angel of death? That she was part fallen angel like…"

Nuada nodded and looked at her, his eyes full of pity. "The oldest creatures know that a fallen angel has wings as pure black as a raven's. I did not know the child had died until I read these files." He reached out to her. "Now come, little angel. We must leave."

Brynn dropped the file and stepped out of the dark of the area they had been in. She took his hand and let him pull her into the shadows, tucking her wings close to her body.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Nuada glanced back at Brynn as he pulled her into the fresh air of the outdoors, away from the Bureau complex's concrete walls. He was startled to see little pink tears falling from her eyes. When he tried to see where this strange sadness had come from, he was met with a mental wall.

_Brynn?_

"Please, just stay out of my head, Nuada…" Brynn whispered, turning her face away from him. "I…I need some time to myself in there."

Nuada looked at her for a moment more before nodding and proceeded to pull her towards the gates, beyond which freedom lie. Brynn's wings shifted restlessly, but remained tucked close to her body, the brilliant white glowing somewhat in the night.

For a warm fall night, the surrounding air grew colder and heavier than Nuada remembered having experienced before, but it was oddly familiar. His eyes narrowed and he drew his spear, his keen eyes studying the surroundings. Brynn watched him with sad eyes, unsure of what he was doing. Nuada saw something shift in the darkness behind Brynn and quickly pulled her closer to him, moving slightly in front of her.

"Legionnaire," Brynn whispered, her wings rustling behind her as the fallen angel made his presence known. "Go away! I am so not in the mood to deal with you!"

A smirk appeared on Legionnaire's lips and his dark, luminous eyes burned brighter. Nuada commended Brynn for her bravery in speaking to a fallen angel with such a commanding tone. However, he knew that fallen angels knew only pain and he was not going to let this one get away with his fated mate. Nuada's mind filled with different strategies almost instantly and he made his spear extend to its full length, its metallic tip shining in the dim light of the moon.

_**Pathetic, Elven prince, do you really think that pathetic weapon will stop me? **_

Nuada knew that the angel was speaking without opening his mouth in an attempt to intimidate him. "Legionnaire of the Devil's sworn, I will stop you from taking that which the gods gave me to protect…Now wretched creature, die."

Nuada launched forward, prepared to stab his spear in the heart of the beast from Hell. Legionnaire turned his hands palms-out and a black, crackling ball of energy formed. Brynn gasped as he threw it at Nuada, but Nuada was able to avoid it…only once.

_**Now you die Elven prince…**_

"No!" Brynn cried out, her voice rising beyond shrill.

Nuada felt the bone-chilling, evil ball of energy crash into his abdomen and coughed up blood. The energy of the fallen angel combated against his and it won, dragging him into the darkness. Brynn rushed forward and caught him as she fell, her wings surrounding the two of them, shielding them against Legionnaire's view. She touched his face with a gentleness he had hardly shown her and crimson tears appeared in her eyes.

"Tell me…little angel…" Nuada whispered, fighting against the darkness and pain. "Do you feel… my end…coming?"

Brynn's eyes were sad, but she forced a smile confirming his fate. Nuada loved her even more for that spark of bravery in her eye, though it pained him to know that he would soon leave her.

"Nuada…I'm not letting go of you," Brynn told him quietly, tears falling from her eyes and onto his face. "You will not die…You _can't _die…You can't leave me!"

"So much like a child…" Nuada breathed, feeling his limbs start to solidify into rock. "Little angel...I shall miss that part of you…"

Brynn looked at his limbs and started breathing fast, panicky breaths. "Nuada, please don't go…please, stay with me!"

Nuada smiled a soft smile and pressed a kiss to her lips. "Until we meet again…" he breathed as the darkness won the battle…

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**A/N: So, my mood has been rather depressed lately, but working on stories helps get the depression out. I would like to see some kind of review on this chapter, so please feel free to comment in the little box. I'll be working on the next chapter or two when I can find the time and will. Thanks in advance! ~ Scarlet**


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: Hi. It's been a long time, hasn't it? I'm not quite ready to give up on this story because there are so many people who like what I do. I'm in a much better mood now, so away we go with the next update.**

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

Brynn held Nuada in her arms and let her tears fall on his cold face. She felt Legionnaire beyond the barrier of her wings and felt her blood boil. Her wings lengthened, grew fuller and the stain of blood on them grew deeper, richer in color. Brynn felt a new energy course through her, warming her and bringing light to the darkness within.

"Legionnaire," she hissed, her eyes glowing with a blue light as she opened her wings. "I will never forgive you and I will never stop hunting you until you are dead!"

Legionnaire stared at her with his dark eyes and smirked. Brynn grew irritated with that smirk and screamed a piercing scream that had killed before and flapped her wings with an intensity that she had never had before that moment. Legionnaire touched his ear where it bled when he was sent flying against the fence that surrounded the Bureau complex. Brynn threw her hand out and lightning shot from her hand, but Legionnaire was already gone.

Brynn wrapped her wings around herself and the stone body of her fated mate, her eyes still softly glowing as the tears fell on his face. "Nuada…I'll bring you back…I will…"

Suddenly, Brynn became aware of the sound of running feet and dogs barking. She held her fated mate lovingly in her arms, her fingers tracing over the stone features of his face. His eyes were closed, so it appeared he was just sleeping, but Brynn knew better. She could feel the cold emptiness in her head where his thoughts used to entrance her. The feeling of a breaking heart with a hole so huge that Brynn was sure she would bleed out.

_And if Nuada is…that means Nuala is too, _Brynn realized with a heavy heart. _Oh God! Why are You punishing me? Why are You punishing the people I love, who haven't done anything wrong?_

Thunder rumbled overhead and rain started falling on the earth like a thousand angel tears. Brynn shivered from a cold that was both internal and external. The only man she had ever loved lay dead in her arms and she was at a loss of what to do.

_**All you have to do is ask Child…**_

Brynn recognized the voice of the Old Angel of Death, but was unsure if she could trust her. After all, she had brought back Brynn and Noemi with extra demons and evils. Brynn did not want to see what would happen if she tried to bring back Nuada.

"Mama Bird," Hellboy said from behind her wings. "You have to let him go."

"No HB…" Brynn whispered, allowing her wings to open just enough for her to see him. "I…I promised him…I-I can't let him go."

Hellboy's yellow eyes softened and he crouched down in front of her. "I know that Mama Bird, but I swear to you that I'll find a way to make him, you know, more _lively _again."

Brynn's eyes peered into his, looking for any sign of betrayal. "You didn't want him around me five months ago…Why the change in attitude?"

"There hasn't been a change in my attitude towards him," Hellboy told her. "And I really need him to be alive again, so I can kick his ass for upsetting my friends." He reached out a big red hand and wiped away her tears with his thumb. "Everything will be all right Mama Bird. If he came back once, there's no stopping him from coming back again…"

The young angel pulled her wings back, tucking them close to her body. "Be careful with him," she whispered as men in black suits approached with a stretcher.

Brynn let go of Nuada and watched several men carefully maneuver his stone body onto the stretcher. Hellboy straightened and offered her a hand up. She took it, feeling like everything was so much slower, so much harder to do, and allowed him to pull her to her feet. Hellboy wrapped an arm around her shoulders and ushered her back towards the building she had been trying to escape from.

"We'll figure something out," Hellboy promised as the doors closed behind them.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Brynn sat in a room with a white cat rubbing its head against her knee in a silent plea to be petted. The room consisted of four glass walls, two of which she had broken at several points in her life and one still had a crack in it from the last time she had thrown something against it. People were stationed at the door, one on the inside and one outside, watching for any sign of trouble. Brynn hadn't been forced into this room against her will, but had asked to be placed in it so she could think.

"Nuada," she breathed, closing her eyes and resting her head back against one of the walls. "You haven't been gone for more than an hour and already it feels like an eternity…Why…Why did you provoke Legionnaire? You are…were…unable to touch him, even with your claim to have fought with an angel before…Did you forget how you could not touch my father?" She sighed and opened her eyes a little to let the tears fall rather than fight against them. "You are not supposed to meddle in the affairs of angels…_I'm _not even supposed to meddle in the affairs of angels…"

_**All you have to do is ask…**_

Brynn frowned and closed her eyes once more. "I'm not going to ask…For such a proud, beautiful warrior to be infected with evil is something that I don't want to be responsible for, Old One…"

The little angel shivered in the cold of the room and quickly her eyes snapped open in search of Legionnaire. He was not there.

_Oh Nuada…It feels as if I am losing my mind without you…_Brynn thought, relaxing one more.

Four months earlier…

_Brynn came down to Earth after her wings started to ache. She landed rather shakily and she giggled a bit, high on life and adrenaline. Nuada looked at her with love and subtle reverence. The little angel Halfling smiled at him and brushed back a strand of her dark hair that had fallen in her face._

"_Nuada…that was the most fun and scariest thing I have done in my life…" she said, folding her wings tightly against her body._

_Nuada smirked and reached out, touching her wings with the tips of his fingers. Brynn shivered in pleasure and her eyes closed slightly. _

"_Little angel, I would have been there to catch you if you fell…" he whispered, having read her thoughts. "I will not let anything happen to you that could bring you harm."_

_Brynn drew herself closer to him and found her body pressed flush against his when he moved as well. "Nuada…please…"_

_His lips pressed against hers and he felt her readily respond to him. His tongue slid along the crease of her lips, asking for entrance. Brynn opened her mouth slightly and let her mouth be explored as Nuada's tongue danced with hers…_

_The sun was warm on her back as she straddled Nuada's body with her own. Her mind was blissfully full of his thoughts mixing with hers about what they wanted at that moment. Brynn slid the tattered, blood stained dress off of her body leaving her body completely bare. She closed her eyes with a smile as Nuada's hands slid down her neck to the swell of her breasts, teasing her with gentle caresses. He rolled them over so that she was on the ground, her wings spread and pressed flat beneath her, underneath of him._

_Her fingers struggled with the knot of his sash in her haste to free him of his clothing. All she could see was him and she wanted all of him once more but Nuada delayed the process by catching her hands in one of his and holding them above her head. She squirmed underneath him and stared up at him for a moment. He smirked and lowered his face to her right breast, gently sucking and biting her, earning quiet little moans and quickened breaths from her lips. The fingers of his free hand rolled the nipple of her other breast until she was filled with a warm sensation and the smell of her 'juices' filled their lungs._

"_Nuada…please…" she whimpered when he lifted his head from her sensitive breasts. "Please…"_

_Nuada sat back on his heels and undid his sash slowly, watching the slightest changes in his fated mate's expression. Tossing the sash aside and ridding himself of his pants, Nuada bent down to kiss her once more, his hardened member rubbing against her body so that a slight groan escaped his lips. Brynn's body shivered in anticipation of the joining of their bodies, though she had only experienced it once before…_

"Brynn," someone said, breaking her free of memory lane.

The little angel opened her eyes and saw that Myers was standing there. A brief flash of annoyance hit her as she climbed to her feet, cradling the white cat in her arms. Her wings rustled and opened slightly, but Myers didn't seem bothered by it.

"What do you want?" she asked wearily, scratching the cat behind its ears so that it purred loudly. "And don't say another kiss…"

Myers held up a Styrofoam cup. "I thought you'd like to have a cup of coffee."

"Why?"

"Well, you've been up for two days straight, so it's either this or I find you a bed to sleep in," Myers said, offering the cup to her.

Brynn turned her back on him. "I don't drink coffee anymore."

"Since when have you passed on a cup of coffee?"

"Since now, John…I can't eat or even think about eating…"

"You can't keep fasting, Brynn. No one wants you to pass out from lack of food and water."

Brynn ignored him and started pacing the room, absently petting the cat. She could still hear the Old One talking to her, telling her all she had to do was ask for the prince to be returned to her. The little angel of death almost wanted to see what would happen if she did ask.

"Brynn, you need to go see Noemi."

"Noemi?" Brynn's eyes flashed and she looked over at him. "You mean the fallen angel-elf Halfling that I gave birth too?"

Myers looked surprised. "How do you know that she is a fallen angel?"

"I've read the files with N…." she trailed off, finding it hard for her to say his name in the presence of a man who had hated her fated mate. She shook her head in an attempt to clear it. "I read the files and I know everything…You can't lie behind the 'stain of evil' excuse anymore. I'm not completely dumb anymore."

The Bureau agent nodded. "I know Brynn…We should have been honest with you from the start, but you seemed so happy to have her back that we didn't want to make you upset again."

"It was worse finding it out on my own." Brynn pointed a finger at him. "A creature like her killed her father and there is nothing any of us can do to bring him back." Her eyes narrowed. "There isn't a way to bring Nuala back to the world either…" _That I'm willing to risk everything for…_

Myers shifted uncomfortably. "Noemi hasn't left Nuala's side since she collapsed and keeps crying for you to come and wake her up."

Brynn's heart cracked a little and she marched over to the door, passing the guards. Her footsteps were light but fast, her feet barely touching the ground before the other moved through air. The cat in her arms meowed and she quickly passed it over to Myers as he tried to keep up with her. Brynn had no real idea where Noemi was, or even where the Bureau had hidden away the bodies of the fallen prince and princess, but she followed her heart as a concerned mother would for her children.

"Mommy!" Noemi's voice cried from a room somewhere ahead of her. "Mommy! Mommy, wake Aunty up! Mommy!"

Brynn felt the slightly overwhelming feeling of death and despair in the air. Her stomach twisted into knots and her head started to hurt. Her wings move with agitation and she was tempted to turn around and walk away, but she knew that her daughter needed her, so she pressed onward. The wails grew louder and Brynn entered the room at the end of the hall to see her daughter perched on a steel examination table with the stone body of Nuala.

"…" Brynn approached the table slowly and looked down at the peaceful face of Nuala. _They look too peaceful…did I look this way to Nuada?_

Noemi's dark eyes looked up at Brynn for help. "Mommy, Aunty fell down and now she won't get up!" She put her little hand on Nuala's cheek. "She's cold!"

Brynn held her arms open and the little girl flew into them, burying her face against Brynn's neck. "Nuala won't wake up, Noemi…Your father won't wake up…They are both dead."

"But Mommy…we died…?"

The baby angel in Brynn's arms pulled back a little to look at her mother with hope in her eyes. Brynn shook her head and new tears fell from her daughter's eyes. All Brynn could do was rub her daughter's back and make gentle shushing sounds while trying to keep her own tears back. Myers stood awkwardly in the doorway, sipping the coffee he had intended to give her.

_**He's not gone, little one…**_

Brynn was startled by the voice of the Professor and even more surprised to see him. "Professor?"

The Professor smiled at her and motioned for her to follow him. Brynn transferred Noemi onto her hip and carried the little girl over to a corner of the room, farther away from the bodies and Myers. Brynn felt a brief moment of happiness at the presence of a man who had allowed her to call him 'grandfather', but it was overwhelmed by the death around her.

"Professor, what do you mean he's not gone?" she asked, her wings rustling lightly. "He's dead. I can't reach his thoughts where he's at."

_**Suppose there is a way for you to reach him, to bring him back in a less dangerous way than consulting with the Old One, would you do it?**_

Brynn nodded. "I would…How can I bring him back without tainting his spirit with evil?"

The Professor opened his mouth to say something, but someone sighed from a chair next to her. Brynn turned to see Abe watching her with sad eyes. When she looked back at the Professor, he was gone.

_Figures…_

"An angel of death can bring back the souls of the dead without tainting the returning soul with evil," Abe whispered, his gaze returning to Nuala's still form like it took a heavy effort to do so. "The Old Angel of Death is a creature of indifference, neither choosing to bring back someone for the purpose of evil or good…When she brought you back, you're body had already been tainted by the evil of your father. The same was true for Noemi…"

"But how do I even begin to bring him back?" Brynn asked as Noemi tugged on her hair.

"You have to be able to control your powers. Powers you don't know you have…that have laid beneath the surface…" Abe sighed heavily again. "You were not trained to use your powers, so you never knew the extent of them..."

Brynn frowned and gently pried her hair loose from Noemi's clinging fingers. "Then how can I bring him back if I don't know about all of my powers?"

"This is all my fault," Abe whispered, more to himself than to Brynn. "If I hadn't agreed with the professor to keep you in the dark about your powers…it doesn't matter anymore, what's done is done…and I have lost the only woman who could possibly love me…"  
Brynn reached out and cupped his chin with her hand, feeling the sadness emanate from him. "Don't, Abe. Just don't give up like that. I'll find some way to bring her back, to bring them both back."

"Mommy!" Noemi exclaimed, squirming in her arms with a frightened gleam in her eyes. "Mommy, the Angel! The Angel!"

Brynn turned slightly as she felt a vaguely familiar power fill the room. Standing in the room was the Old Angel of Death…

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**A/N: Ooh cliff hanger. My bad. I just didn't know where to go next. I'll be working on the next chapter as soon as I physically can. Expect a delay of one month for the next update, I find that I can't find the time to do much work on chapters now that I'm in college. No time to watch movies or anything. It sucks, but I couldn't be happier.**

**Anyway, I hope there are still reviewers among you. Thanks! ~ Scarlet**


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: I'm so sorry for the delay, but I was kinda hoping for more reviews with the last update. It seems to me that not many people are reading this anymore and normally that would be grounds for me to stop writing the story, but I plan to see this all the way through to the end.**

**I'm working on chapters for this story every now and then, but without encouragement or some critiques this has been made difficult for me. Hell, I'd welcome back the Flaming Trolls who read and reviewed the prequel to this if they could give me some sense of where I stand. Please, do not simply read this and go onto the next story that catches your fancy. Review me and I'll do my absolute best to get back to you. **

**All right. Down off my soap box I go. On with the update…**

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

Brynn turned her body slightly so her daughter was shielded from the blind eyes of the Old Angel of Death, just in case the angel decided to do anything out of line. Noemi tugged at Brynn's dark hair and peered around her, unsure of the situation but curious at the same time. The dark haired angel turned her gaze onto the much taller angel and frowned.

"Creature of Indifference, what do you want?" she demanded, her wings rustling behind her while Abe climbed to his feet and Myers called for backup. "Don't you know when you are unwanted?"

The Old One laughed a quiet, raspy laugh. "I know when I am _needed_."

Brynn's eyes narrowed. "How are you needed? I refuse to let you return Nuada and Nuala to their living bodies, lest you allow more evil to grasp their hearts." _Why am I speaking like this? Nuada has definitely rubbed off on me…_

Her heart ached at the thought of Nuada and she quickly looked away, knowing that her grief could be felt above Abe's, choking the room of all happiness. The Old One moved over to the stone bodies of the prince and princess. Her movements were those of reverence and a mother's gentleness.

"Nuada, you have done well in keeping your oath," the Old One whispered, her withered, dry hand passing over his face, though not touching it. "The other half of your heart lives and remains pure, while you died protecting her. You have done well indeed." Her unseen eyes turned to Nuala. "And pure, innocent Nuala…having enjoyed the companionship of another and raising your brother's child while his mate is incapable…"

Abe moved protectively between the Old One and Nuala's stone form. "I'd rather you not touch her," he said in explanation of his actions.

The Old One turned to face Brynn after a moment of simply looking at Abe. "Are you prepared to learn about your powers, Brynn Leandra McKae?" she asked.

Brynn stiffened and looked at Noemi, unsure if she should trust the woman who had brought her from Heaven. Noemi stared up at her mother, nodding her head once, and tugged on Brynn's hair again. The mother angel sighed and nodded.

"If only to bring back Nuada and Nuala," she whispered, setting Noemi down. "I will go with you and learn how to use my powers…"

The Old One made a _tsking _sound and shook her finger at Brynn. "You must not think of only the fallen royalty, little angel -"

"Don't call me that!" Brynn snapped, feeling her heart ache again for Nuada's familiar thoughts, his confident words.

"You must think of the salvation of this world and all of its inhabitants," the Old One continued as if she hadn't been interrupted, though she smiled at Brynn's discomfort. "Only then will the angelic powers in you manifest, coming to the surface with the power you need to reunite with the other half of your heart…"

Brynn straightened when she heard these words and the sound of hurried footsteps in the distance. People were starting to panic, getting angry at the sudden arrival of an angel that they knew they neither could trust nor distrust. Abe's sadness now had a flame of hope in it and Noemi's happiness radiated throughout the room.

"Do you accept my offer?" the Old One asked as if unbothered by the approaching footsteps.

Brynn saw the hand that the angel offered to her; dry and withered as it was, it didn't bother Nuada's mate to touch it. "I accept."

The angel's wings surrounded the two females and a burst of bright white light filled the room. Noemi started singing a song in the tongue of the old creatures that Nuala had taught her while Abe sat back down on his chair, watching the littlest angel dance around Nuala's still form. Myers called out for Brynn to return, but nothing happened.

OOOOOOOOOOOOO

_Nuada blinked against the bright light of his surroundings. It took a moment for his sensitive eyes to adjust to this strange light. He remembered what had led him to this strange world, his defenses quickly rising and he reached for his weapon only to find that it was not on him. _

_Nothing leaped out at him._

_No one was around him._

_He was completely alone in a world he felt was familiar to him as if he had been there before._

"_Brynn," Nuada uttered the name with concern when he felt emptiness in his head where her presence used to be._

"_You cannot contact her here," a voice that he had not heard in months said from behind him._

_Nuada turned slowly, his eyes landing on his father's face for a mere moment before lowering his gaze. "Father…"_

"_Son," the King said though not unkindly. "You have been considerably noble in your actions recently…protecting your family and in the beginning, saving Brynn from the hand of Death."_

_Nuada frowned. "In the beginning? Father, it must be an end."_

_The King looked amused when Nuada found the will to look him in the eye. "Must it be?"_

"_I have fallen in battle, saving my fated mate from the hands of a fallen angel. I can go no further as I have no doubt been sent to the afterlife. And my beloved sister…" His heart ached for her and the death he knew he had caused, but he could feel her kindness through their bond. She was nearby, but Nuada could not see her, "has perished with me."_

"_Yes, Nuala has come here with you," the King agreed. "It was unavoidable and she realizes that you did what you had to in order to save your mate." _

_Nuada looked around them and saw a pair of golden gates over a dozen yards away. He had never passed through those gates in any of the moments he had died and neither had his sister. Beyond those gates, he was sure Paradise laid waiting for those who were on the side of the light. This was as far as he had ever gotten in this world above all worlds._

"_Nuada," the King began, rising from his seat on a seat made of clouds. "Where is your unbridled spirit and determination? Have you forgotten the danger that lies below?"_

_Nuada's eyes narrowed. "Brynn is down there with Legionnaire! She is vulnerable to him now with no Champion to protect her…Father, I must return to her."_

_The old King smile fell as he stood before his son. "You will return to her, but not now." _

"_Father-"_

_The King held his hand up, effectively silencing Nuada as he had in the past. "Brynn will bring you back to life with your sister, but not until she learns how to use her powers." His eyes became stern. "Had you revealed more about her powers and how to use them, you would not be here now, but that is something that cannot be undone. Everything is as it should be…"_

_Nuada felt a moment of confusion. "As it should be? Father, I am dead and Legionnaire, the damned fallen angel, is still in close contact with my mate…How can that be as it should be?"_

"_Brynn must find herself. A piece of her soul is missing and I am not referring to you, Nuada. I am speaking of that which was born of her spirit, ripped away during her exorcism. That piece which now threatens the lives of the humans and the oldest creatures in the world below…"_

_The dark prince's brow furrowed. "Legionnaire? He is the piece that she is missing?"_

"_No. He simply holds the piece hostage. Brynn McKae must look into her soul and reach out to the piece of her that is held away from her. Only then can you be brought back and her powers made strong enough to defeat Legionnaire."_

_Nuada frowned and looked away from his father, thinking about what had just been said. He was puzzled by the lack of concentration he had without Brynn's thoughts intermixing with his own. All he could think about was getting back to her before Legionnaire took advantage of his absence at her side._

"_Father, she is not ready to assume so much power," Nuada said, looking back at the King, "and she is without a teacher…How then can she be taught of her powers?"_

"_There is the Old One." _

_Frustration rose up in Nuada's soul. "That which tainted her in the first place? Father, I would rather the world end."_

"_The Old One did not taint the soul of Brynn Leandra McKae. The fallen angel of death, Julius, tainted your fated mate's soul before he drew his final breath and was sent to Hell. The same is true with the child which you do not claim to love…Noemi."_

_Nuada felt an odd feeling well up in his chest. "I do not claim to hate the child, but she is more-"_

"_Your child than Brynn's," the King commented. "She has your noble elf blood running through her veins and that of a fallen angel…Still Brynn has managed to love Noemi as her own flesh and blood, a feat you have not attempted."_

_Nuada fell silent and looked away from his father, towards the golden gates that he had never passed through. The Elven king sighed._

"_Your fated mate has begot a fallen angel twice," the King said quietly. "She loves one as her daughter, a pure creature. And the other was born during the exorcism, coming straight from Hell to take hold of Brynn's complete soul." He smiled slightly. "You should have paid more attention to the Oracle."_

_Nuada felt an odd urge to laugh, something he hadn't done in day, but he kept silent. The King sighed once more and turned._

"_Come," he said, walking away. "Let us speak with Nuala while we wait."_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Brynn sat there among the candles, her legs crossed in the lotus position and her wings partially wrapped around her. She was listening to the soft, raspy words of the Old Angel of Death as she slowly went deeper and deeper into her unconsciousness where her powers lay dormant. The Angel of Death was pushing her further towards them at a fast pace because there was only so much time for them to practice. She had to unlock them soon.

"Breathe in…" the Old Angel of Death instructed softly, standing off to one side. "…as you breathe in, you move further into your spirit…what do you see, Child?"

Brynn breathed in slowly and let her mind wander closer to the heart of her spirit\. "I see a blue light…it's pulsating and warm…" She smiled slightly. "It's welcoming me…Should I touch it?"

"Not yet…Look around the light…from all sides…What do you see?"

Brynn's consciousness moved around the blue light and she grew sad and worried. "There's a piece missing…it's dark and…Where did the piece go? I need to find it!"

The Old Angel of Death shook her head. "It is not with you…Breathe in, Child…now breathe out…reach for the light slowly and embrace it…"

The little angel reached with her consciousness towards the blue light. At her touch, the light exploded, wrapping tendrils of blue light around her. She felt panic rise up inside her gut, but the Old One was calmly urging her forward, assuring her that everything was going to be all right. Brynn couldn't help but trust the Old One; it was as if she was a sister of centuries apart. An older sister who had knowledge that she was happy to pass along to her littlest sister…

Warmth spread through Brynn's body and she felt her body become strong with this power she didn't know she had possessed. She opened her eyes and looked at her wings, watching them stretch out and grow slightly. She turned slightly, looking at the Old One with a smile on her face.

"Sister," the Old One said, speaking softly as she walked among the candles. "You have awakened your powers…"

"But a piece of my spirit is gone," Brynn whispered, standing up slowly, careful around the candles. "Where is it, Old One?"

The Old One placed a hand on Brynn's shoulder. "That…is for tomorrow's lesson."

Brynn looked up at the withered, dry face of the Old One. "Old One, will I become like you when I am older?"

The old angel laughed her raspy laugh, sounding like the wind through the needle trees. "Do you really wish to become as ugly as me?"

Brynn remained silent. The Old One smiled down at her, the eyes on her wings closing slightly.

"You will not become like me, Sister," the Old One said, gently tilting Brynn's face up by the chin. "You are of mixed blood. The human in your blood will not let you become like me and the angel will keep you alive for centuries."

The little angel's eyes grew wet. She didn't want to live for centuries without the man she had fallen in love with. The air of the room grew cold and heavy with her grief.

"Little Sister," the Old One whispered, using a gentle finger to brush away a tear that fell away from the others in Brynn's eyes. "You miss the honorable prince who risked his life so that you may be made whole again." Her sigh was heavy. "You must not let this be the only reason to find your powers…To attack Legionnaire with the sole purpose of revenge is not in the interest of the angels…You must not let your heart be made impure with the hate for the fallen angel."

"Old One, I can't help it. I miss Nuada so much, my heart aches for him and my mind constantly seeks his thoughts. How can I not hate the bastard who stole him away from me?"

"Oh, little one," the Old One turned away as if she had grown weary and the flames of the nearest candles sputtered out. "There is much you must learn, but not tonight…You must rest for tomorrow our true practice begins…"

Before Brynn could say much more, the Old One turned and was gone. She sighed and looked around the large chamber, seeing that there were hundreds of candles still burning though never growing shorter. The little angel of death opened her wings and spun, blowing the candles out without physically being near them.

_Tomorrow…I'm not sure I can wait for tomorrow…Nuada…where did you go?_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**A/N: So what did you think? Correct my grammar, mock me, do something! Don't just read and go onto another story. I'm developing a thick skin about my writing, so feel free to tell me that you don't like my story/characters/characterization or that I suck as a writer. I don't care what you say, just say something! Please. !Ayude me! Thanks! ~ Scarlet**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: Another late update. Sorry.**

**Also, I've changed the way that Legionnaire talks…so yeah…**

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

Brynn's breath was labored as she landed on the floor of the room of candles after training with the Old One. She couldn't remember how long she had trained those past few days that she'd been there, time seemed to fly when she was training. It slowed when she had to rest and meditate without the presence of Nuada, dragging on and on with no end in sight. She hated sleeping without his presence in her mind and him beside her, but with each day of training with the Old One, she knew she was getting stronger, closer to being reunited with her fated mate.

_Nuada… we shall be together again…soon..._

The only reply Brynn received was a hollow emptiness in her head, but the little angel was not discouraged. She would fix this problem as soon as the Old One told her where she could find the missing piece of her soul. All she needed was the opportunity.

"Little Sister," the Old One said, moving to stand in front of her. "You've come far in your training these past two weeks, however there is still much to learn…" Her eyes on her wings looked sad. "But there is no more time for me to teach you…"

"What?" Brynn stepped forward, her bare feet making no sound on the rough stone floor. "Old One, why isn't there anymore time for you to teach me? Is something wrong?"

The Old One lowered herself onto her knees so that she was eye level with Brynn. "The one who calls himself Legionnaire has been making plans to steal away what is most precious to you…The demon you call Hellboy is protecting the Child, but there is only so much he can do before the fallen angel overwhelms him…"

Brynn was alarmed. "Old One, are you saying I should go back to the others? Now?"

"No, not yet, little Sister. You must take this opportunity to retrieve the piece of your soul that Legionnaire possesses. I know you wish to protect your daughter, but you must think of completing your soul…"

Brynn shook her head and backed away from the Old Angel of Death. "Angels do not think just for themselves…They think of all people and you can't think that I will save my soul before I save my friends." She opened her wings, a blue light shining in her eyes. "Old One, I must save my friends first and then retrieve that piece of my soul which Legionnaire keeps…"

"There is little time, Sister…" the Old One said, making no move to stop Brynn from making her own decision. "You must-"

"I have to help HB," Brynn stated, wrapping her wings around herself and vanishing from the large room of candles. "I am sorry Old One."

The candle flames flickered as the young angel of death vanished. The Old One straightened with a small smile on her face. She picked up a candle with a blue flame burning at its top and cupped her dried hand around it as it flickered from a draft in the room.

"Do not let my child be your demise, little Sister," the Old One said. "You alone can face him…with the support of your friends, the completion of your soul, and the love you have created…"She turned her face away. "The blessings of God be with you…."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Hellboy groaned slightly as he picked himself off the floor. He had no idea why there had been a sudden attack in the Bureau complex by the fallen angel that had killed Nuada. Brynn was no longer there, so no one had been prepared for the fallen angel to appear. Legionnaire's goal seemed to be to come after Noemi, who was hiding behind Krauss and Myers with fear on her face.

"Hellboy!" Noemi cried out as Legionnaire kicked him in the side, knocking him into a wall.

"Don't worry Baby Bird," Hellboy said, picking himself off the ground as Legionnaire advanced. "I've got this covered."

Legionnaire smirked and raised his hand, black energy crackling visibly against his palm. He said something that Hellboy didn't understand, holding the energy ball back.

"Listen you," Hellboy said, pulling out Big Baby. "You've made too many of my friends sad and you're scaring my niece. And you woke Big Baby. That's three things that are a sure fire way to get your ass kicked to Hell and back."

Legionnaire said something again in that language that Hellboy didn't understand. Hellboy raised his gun and fired just as Legionnaire threw the energy ball. The large bullet missed Legionnaire's heart, burying itself in his right shoulder. The energy ball blasted Hellboy back onto his back, Big Baby sliding away from him. Noemi screamed and rushed towards him despite Krauss and Myers' attempts to keep her back. Hellboy pushed her behind him as Legionnaire stepped towards the two of them.

"Legionnaire!" a voice rang out from behind the great fallen angel.

Hellboy realized with a start that he recognized that voice. Legionnaire turned and revealed Brynn, her wings larger than he had ever seen them and her eyes gleaming like sapphires touched by grey. Panic rose up in him.

"You're not supposed to be here, Mama Bird!" he called out.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Brynn ignored Hellboy's words, though the pet name brought her some comfort. She glared at Legionnaire and her wings opened, touching both walls with some room left to be desired. Legionnaire looked startled to see her the way she was, so confident and powerful, but she knew that he was not impressed. He still boasted greater power over her even with her new found strength.

"It's not him you want," Brynn said, her palms glowing slightly as she summoned pure light energy to her hands. "It's not even my child that you want…"

"No…" Legionnaire said, turning to face her fully.

"You need me for your master's plan," Brynn whispered, tilting her head to the side as she looked at him. "And I need you dead."

Legionnaire smirked. "Hatred from an angel of death…fear…anger, this is what I need. You will surrender yourself to the darkness."

Brynn flicked her wrist, throwing one bright energy ball at the shadows that reached for her, cast by Legionnaire. The shadows flinched and dissipated as the energy hit them, but the burst of light temporarily blinded Brynn as it had during her training. She blinked and quickly called forth more crackling energy into her hands, preparing for another attack.

"Leave this place," Brynn ordered as Legionnaire was hit by her lightning. "And leave my friends and family alone! If you're going to mess with anyone, it'll be me!"

Legionnaire drew his breath in as a hiss, his dark wings rustling. "You will succumb to the darkness!"

"Mama Bird," Hellboy growled, pointing Big Baby at Legionnaire's back. "Whatever the hell you two are saying, I know it ain't good. So why don't you two switch back to English and leave the fighting to me and Black Blood Wings?"

Brynn's wings folded around her body as Legionnaire cast dark energy at her. Its cold embrace on her made her shiver, but she repelled it with difficulty. She would not let herself be taken over by the darkness again. Not after all that had happened to her and her friends, her family.

The little angel half-breed snapped her wings open, casting out a wave of pure energy. Her eyes became brighter and she felt herself moving towards Legionnaire, suddenly feeling as if she was not alone anymore. Something made Legionnaire's eyes widen in fear and alarm.

"This is not over," Legionnaire hissed, wrapping his wings around himself and vanishing before Brynn could stop him. "You will -"

"Send you back to where you came from," Brynn finished, cutting across him.

Legionnaire vanished, taking away the feeling of death and evil. Brynn's eyes returned to their natural blue-gray color and her hands closed into fists, extinguishing the glow they had given off. She looked at her friends and family, noticing that Hellboy was staring at her with a weird look on his face.

"What?" she asked, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Who are you and what have you done to Mama Bird?" Hellboy demanded with a small smile. "Mama Bird couldn't take on anyone before…and she didn't have angelic friends backing her up."

"Who -?" Brynn spun around, noticing how the feeling of support vanished. She caught the glimpse of pure white forms and then even those faded into nothing.

"Mommy!" Noemi exclaimed, rushing out from behind Hellboy. "Mommy!"

Brynn crouched down and caught her daughter in her arms. The baby angel's wings brushed against Brynn's arms, soft as down feathers, and Brynn welcomed the feeling. "Noemi, I missed you so much!" She kissed her daughter on the cheek. "Have you behaved for your uncles and Myers?"

Noemi nodded. "Mommy, Aunt Nuala is cold…"

_Nuala…_Brynn's eyes became sad and she held her daughter closer, burying her face in her daughter's silver-blonde hair. She breathed in the familiar scent of her daughter and tried to banish the sadness from her thoughts. _Nuala and…Nuada…their bodies still lay at rest here…_

"Brynn," Myers said, stepping forward with Krauss. "Where have you been?"

"Why are you concerned?" Brynn demanded, lifting her gaze towards theirs. "I was discovering my powers with someone who actually wanted to help me."

"You were gone for two weeks," Myers stated, looking at her with concern. "We didn't know where you were or if you were ever coming back."

Brynn frowned at him. "Did you really think I'd leave my child with you forever? I'm not that stupid." She transferred her daughter onto her hip. "And you have precious cargo in here." The little angel looked at Hellboy once more. "HB, are the bodies of…are they still in the same room that we…?"

Hellboy nodded. "Abe has pretty much told everyone to keep their hands off the bodies. He won't let anyone into the room except for Baby Bird…"

_Good._ Brynn started walking, her bare feet silent on the cold floor. "How is Kendra?"

"The Oracle is still recovering," Krauss announced, walking next to her. "We expect her to recover fully sometime this week…Now Ms. McKae, how did you manifest so much power in two weeks?"

Brynn shrugged and continued walking. "I learned from the Old One…She's not as evil as I thought she was…She's actually nice and cares more about me than half of the people here at the Bureau do."

"But she is an Indifferent Angel…" Krauss commented.

"I don't think so. She's better than Hellboy." She glanced over her shoulder at Hellboy. "Sorry, but when it comes to fighting style, she's got you whooped, HB."

"Says the one who needed backup when faced with a fallen angel," Hellboy shot back.

Brynn stuck her tongue out at him and so did Noemi, earning a chuckle from Hellboy. She turned her gaze away from him as she felt the emptiness in her soul, her heart…her world. Brynn felt Abe's sadness echoing throughout the compound as she neared the room where the bodies had been left to rest.

"Abraham," she whispered, looking at him when she entered the room. "Are you…?"

Abe's blue head lifted and he looked at her with large, wet blue eyes. "Brynn pet…can you…have you learned how to…?"

Brynn set Noemi down and walked over to the father figure of her life. She wrapped her arms around him and pressed a kiss to his forehead. "Abe…I hope you can remain strong for awhile longer…"

Abe looked up at her with hope in his eyes. Noemi flapped her wings, rising into the air, and landed next to Nuada. Brynn turned her attention to her daughter, watching her with a curious expression on her face.

"Daddy…Daddy…" Noemi said, touching Nuada's face. "Daddy…I love you…Mommy loves you too…Daddy get up…"

Brynn walked over to the metal table bearing the stone bodies of the last royal elf siblings. She looked at Nuala's peaceful features and then looked at Nuada, her fated mate. She felt anger rising inside of her, but her love for her friends and family killed it.

"Nuada," she whispered, touching his face like her daughter. "Nuala…I wish I never had to do this…I ask that God give me the strength to do this…"

Brynn reached out and put a gentle hand on Nuala's face and continued touching Nuada's. She looked within her soul for the power to bring back the two people who had helped her through so much. Her eyes glowed with a bright light and her wings restlessly unfolded, the red stains glowing with the white of her feathers…

_Nuala…Nuada…come back…come back to me…_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**A/N: Odd and poorly written chapter, I know. I wish I could offer you guys more, but this is what I'm working with at the moment. I'm trying to write more, but I've been going through a rough patch lately and my internet access is limited. I will attempt to get another update up in a month or so. Thanks for sticking with me for this long. Please review! Thanks! ~ Scarlet**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N: Short, oh so very short chapter update. I am sorry for the delay, but I haven't been able to shake the writer's block for this story. I know where I want to end it, but I have no clue how to get there. So, here's my update…**

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

Brynn felt herself slip away from reality and into a part of herself that she had never ventured. She looked around and saw dozens of people walking around with their heads bowed, all of them in washed out and tattered clothes. A cold chill passed over Brynn and she gripped her necklace tightly as if it would fall away from her if she didn't hold onto it. She felt she knew this place, but couldn't put a name to it.

"Purgatory," a familiar voice said, drawing Brynn's attention to its owner. "A place where spirits wait in limbo for their Final Judgment to come to pass…It's kind of ironic that I end up here, you know?"

"Kendra…" Brynn whispered, feeling her voice echo around them with a slight undertone of power. "You're…they said you weren't dead."

"Yeah, that's one of the funny things I found out as I contemplated my fate," Kendra said, tapping her chin. "That and how I don't believe in Purgatory, only in Heaven and Hell, yet here I am." She looked thoughtful. "I was Buddhist once..."

Brynn felt her lips curl up in a slight smile. "You're not dead?"

"No. I'm merely in a coma. People in comas come here, apparently." Kendra looked around them suspiciously. "I must have pissed someone off."

"Then why am I here?" Brynn asked following Kendra as the Oracle walked away. "I'm not dead. I'm not in a coma as far as I know."

Kendra smiled slightly. "You're trying to bring Nuada and Nuala back to life, aren't you?"

"Yes."

"Well, you can't do that."

"Why not?"

Kendra turned abruptly, causing Brynn to bump into her and fall on her butt. "You're missing part of your soul."

"Yeah, Legionnaire took it. I plan on getting it back once I have Nuada and Nuala breathing air again."

The ageless Oracle shook her head. "Nothing is ever that easy…"

Brynn pushed herself to her feet and crossed her arms, her blue-gray eyes flashing in slight anger. "What?"

"I'll put it in simple terms so you can understand. No complete soul, no Nuada." Kendra frowned when Brynn let out an exasperated sigh. "Geez, did you become stupider since I went into my coma?"

Brynn shook her head. "How do I get this piece of my soul back?"

"In a rush, are we?"

"Kinda."

Kendra sighed dreamily. "Oh, the tale of a blooming, tragic romance…I don't envy you in the slightest."

"Kendra!"

The Oracle rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "All right, I'll give you the information that you want. To get your soul back, you have to kill me."

The whispering voices of Purgatory fell silent. The other people vanished, fading into the darkness. All that remained was Brynn and the Oracle. Only one of them seemed to be enjoying this moment and it wasn't the angel half-breed.

"I have to…?"

"Kill me," Kendra said with a smile. "And I'll tell you why…I was Legionnaire's first victim that was close to you. He put the piece of your soul he took, inside of me… He knew that if I died at his hands that the piece of your soul would die with me and you'd never see Nuada again without the Old Angel of Death's help…and he has his plans for her…"

"What plans?"

"That's not for you to know yet." The Oracle tapped her chin again, looking thoughtful. "Where was I? Oh yes, now I remember…Legionnaire didn't think that you would find out about the power you have to reach other's souls to talk with me. He didn't think I would tell you that I have to die at your hands to reclaim that piece of your soul…"

Brynn stepped back away from Kendra. "You've got to be kidding me."

"Nope."

"There has to be another way."

Kendra examined her nails as if the conversation was starting to bore her. "Not a one."

Brynn wrapped her arms around herself. She never wanted to kill anyone except for her father, Myers, and Liz, but that was only when they made her mad. Lately, she hadn't wanted to kill anyone besides Legionnaire, but now she had to kill Kendra?

She shook her head and frowned. _I can't do this._

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Noemi watched her mother with her dark eyes shining with love and hope. She loved her mommy and knew deep down in her little heart that her mommy would make her Aunt Nuala warm again. She knew that her mommy would make her daddy wake up.

_Daddy…_

The little fallen angel looked down at her daddy's body. She could feel the cold, hard surface of his skin. It was just like Nuala's now. Noemi remembered how soft Nuala's hands had been, the nice smell of her skin. She smiled as she remembered Nuala's soft, singing voice. The toddler wanted to hear it again. But she didn't know much about her daddy.

He was tall. He had a strange mark on his face. His lips never formed a smile when he saw her. His eyes never showed her love like her mommy's did. His words were empty of emotion, yet he spoke kindly to Mommy. He hardly even looked at Noemi, never held her. But she loved him.

"Daddy, I love you." Noemi whispered, placing a kiss on her father's cold cheek. "Mommy's going to wake you up."

Her daddy didn't respond. His eyes didn't open. He was still cold and hard as the tables that he was laying on. She didn't know how her daddy could sleep on them. They were not soft like the bed she slept in when it got dark. She didn't like them much.

Noemi looked up at her mommy whose eyes were closed. Her mommy had a hand resting on Nuada's forehead and that of her Aunt Nuala, but her arms were shaking. Her mommy's wings were opened and touching the ground as if she would flap them and hit the sky overhead. Noemi had hit the sky before when she was flying and she knew it hurt.

"Mommy," Noemi whispered, placing a hand on top of her mommy's. "I love you. Wake Daddy up for me."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Brynn could feel Kendra's eyes on her. "There has to be another way, Kendra," she said, looking at the lavender skinned Oracle. "Please, there has to be another way."

The Oracle shook her head. "There isn't. If you don't have your complete soul, you can't get to Nuada or Nuala. You can't bring them back from the dead. And I'll never be able to kick HB's ass for watching _300_…" She looked stern. "You have to kill me."

Brynn turned her gaze away from Kendra. "I can't. We've been friends for as long as I've known you. You've helped me when others wouldn't."

"Yeah, I'm cool like that, but you're forgetting something. I'm the Oracle that caused your death. I'm also the Oracle that saw the second death of Nuada coming and told no one."

The little angel's eyes were on Kendra in an instant. "You – you knew?"

A smug smile appeared on Kendra's face. "Of course I knew. I know almost everything. So I knew Nuada would be heartbroken when you were dead after I sent you on the suicide mission. I also knew Legionnaire would kill your tragic hero right in front of you, but I told no one and did nothing to change the outcome."

Brynn's hands tightened into fists. "You knew that I'd die and that Nuada would have to seek the help of the Old Angel of Death to bring me back. You knew that Noemi would be tainted with evil, that she'd fall from Grace...You knew _everything_ and you didn't warn anyone?!" she hissed, her eyes glowing with a blue light.

Kendra didn't flinch. "Yep. So, in a way, I'm the reason that you may never see your fated mate again." Her chin stuck out defiantly. "What are you going to do about it, half-breed?"

Brynn couldn't help but see red as she looked at the one who had remained silent about all the events that had taken everything from Brynn. Finally, there was a single source for all of the pain that her friends had endured. All the evil in the world that could have been prevented had the Oracle spoken, but she hadn't. And only one person could call her "half-breed"…

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Kendra stood there, merely two yards from the angel Halfling who was quickly becoming angrier though no words were being exchanged between the two. She knew she had been a little too harsh with the name calling and the goading she had done to bring Brynn to this point, but that was the only way she knew how to make the angel mad.

She had few – if no – regrets about what she had done. She just wished that there had been another way. That she didn't have to be the person to do it.

_Legionnaire never played fair_, Kendra thought, feeling sad without revealing it on her face. _He wants to turn everyone into monsters especially me…But God is mightier than any pure fallen angel and I believe in Him with all my heart. He'd never turn me into a monster without a good reason…_

"Kendra!" Brynn snapped, the air around them crackling with the power of her anger. "You're so dead!"

_Finally…I've been around for thousands of years…I've watched most of my children pass away…I've survived numerous murder attempts…I'm just glad it's Brynn that gets to kill me…I always fancied the thought of dying because of an angel…._

The Oracle closed her eyes as Brynn rushed at her, bracing herself for the end…

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**A/N: Short, rushed…I feel really bad about it. I just can't come up with new ideas for the chapters…Please review with ideas that you think will make the story progress further. Just don't expect a lemon, I suck at writing those. :P ~ Scarlet**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N: I left you hanging last time, so here's something to make up for it. :P**

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

Kendra waited for the end to come. She waited and waited, growing slightly impatient with Brynn. If she was to die, she wanted to be ready for it and she was ready for it right now. After two minutes of not being killed, Kendra was not a happy Oracle. Her eyes snapped open to find Brynn's fist held just inches from her face, crackling with rapidly fading lightning.

"Are you toying with me?" Kendra asked, cocking an eyebrow. "Allowing me to say my final words? Crack one more 'your mama is so fat' joke?"

Brynn smirked slightly. "No."

Kendra crossed her arms. "Then why am I not dead yet?" Her eyes narrowed. "Don't tell me you're chickening out of this. How else are you going to make Nuada and Nuala come back to life?"

Brynn lowered her fist and let her hand fall slack. Her eyes no longer held any anger, simply peace. "I'm not chickening out of anything. And you're not dead yet because I haven't killed you." She smiled slightly. "I'm not going to kill you."

Kendra blinked stupidly. "Not even after all the things I said and didn't do?"

"Nope."

"Why not? Am I not kill-worthy?" Her eyes darkened slightly. "Others think I'm kill-worthy…"

The angel Halfling put a hand on Kendra's shoulder. "I'm not like the others...And you know what? I forgive you for everything you've done me wrong because I'm tired of holding onto the past and being angry about things that were beyond my control hasn't helped. If you were able to tell me about these things, something worse could have happened. I forgive you."

Kendra looked at Brynn. "Really?"

"I really forgive you, Kendra."

Kendra smiled a happy, true smile. Her eyes glowed with a white light and she grew very warm. Brynn pulled her hand back and watched in bewilderment.

_Poor girl doesn't even know how proud I am of her_, Kendra thought, looking up towards the heavens. _She passed the test and now…_She smiled at Brynn. "You get to retrieve the souls of your prince and his twin."

Kendra reached inside of her chest and pulled out a glowing blue orb of light. "I think this belongs to you…"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Brynn saw what Kendra was offering and felt something spark to life inside of her as she took the glowing orb of light into her own hands. "Kendra, I don't understand."

Kendra was fading away. "Maybe you're not supposed to."

The orb of light melted into Brynn's hand and she felt her spirit lift and rejoice as the missing piece of her soul merged with the rest. Brynn smiled and closed her eyes for a moment.

_Thank you for everything Kendra, _Brynn thought within the safety of her mind. _ And I do forgive you for everything…Let's just hope Nuada feels the same…_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

_Nuada was deep in discussion with his father and Nuala when he heard a soft voice in his head. A sidelong glance at his sister when she fell silent, earned his curiosity. Did she hear the voice as well? _

_The old king suddenly smiled and looked past Nuada. "I believe someone is here to see you, my son."_

_Nuada was on his feet in a flash and turned to see the person that his father was talking about. His heartbeat sped up, proving to be a traitor of his masked emotions, and he took a step towards the person. "Brynn…?"_

_His fated mate smiled at him and ran into his arms. She felt so real against him, but he was sure that this was merely an illusion conjured by his mind. Nuada raised a hand and hesitantly brushed back the dark hair that had fallen in his little angel's face._

"_Little angel," Nuada whispered, his heart full of emotion, "are you dead? Has that damned fallen angel killed you?" He could not bear the thought of his mate's blood being shed again by one so evil. "Or are you some illusion meant to torment me?"_

"_I am not dead, Nuada," Brynn said quietly, drinking in the sight of him. He could feel the longing she had felt ever since he had fallen in battle in her rapidly changing thoughts. "And I'm no illusion…" Her brow furrowed. "Are you not an illusion meant to torment me after I completed my soul?"_

_Nuada's lips touched hers lightly, holding back the passion he felt for her. Brynn kissed him back a little harder, giving him a taste of her passion and longing. Nuada's father made a small coughing noise and the two drew apart from each other. _

"_Nuala," Brynn said with a small smile. "Abe's been a wreck since you…and so has Noemi."_

_The fair elf princess smiled in kind. "He has told me…Brynn McKae, are you sending us to our bodies soon?"_

"_It would seem that my sister is impatient to rejoin with Abraham," Nuada said with a small smirk._

_Nuala's cheeks burned with color and Nuada felt the heat in his face. King Balor chuckled. _

_Brynn nodded and bowed her head to the old king before taking hold of Nuada and Nuala's hands."Let's see what I can do…"_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Noemi saw her mother's eyes open with a blue light. Sweat clung to Brynn's body and her legs gave out on her, but Uncle Hellboy was there to catch her. Noemi jumped from the table holding Nuala and touched her mother's leg.

"Mommy!" Noemi exclaimed, she jumped up and down impatiently. "Mommy, did you do it?"

Brynn nodded with an uncertain look on her face. "They…they are coming back." She straightened and pushed herself out of Hellboy's hands. "I've got to go."

"Go?" Hellboy looked down at Brynn with questions in his golden eyes. "But you just came back."

Noemi tugged on her mother's pants leg. "Mommy, where are you going?" she asked. "Mommy, don't go."

Brynn crouched down and put her hands lightly on Noemi's shoulders. "Mommy has to go, Noemi," she said quietly. "Someone I know is about to be in big trouble and I have to try to stop it." Her eyes lifted to Hellboy when he moved. "Alone…"

"Mama Bird, I don't think you should do that," Hellboy said, taking a step closer to her. "You don't have much battle experience."

"Look what battle experience has done for you against angels," Brynn retorted, straightening after giving her daughter a kiss on the forehead. "I've already sent one to Hell -"

"And you died in the process."

"That's because I was already hurt and didn't know about my powers."

"Brynn don't make me play the bad guy here. I don't need Silver Pants on my ass again about you going somewhere without telling anyone and getting killed again."

"HB, you have to let me go…now." Brynn turned and walked out of the room, her wings clipping him on the head as she walked. "And grind down your horns while you're at it."

Hellboy looked down at Noemi and told her to stay where she was before walking out of the room himself. Noemi flapped her wings and jumped onto the table holding Nuala. She couldn't help but think that her Uncle Hellboy and mommy were mad at each other. Why else would they be speaking so loudly?

"Nuala is quiet," Noemi whispered, glancing over at Abe, who had been watching all of this without saying a word. "Like you." She frowned as she sat down by Nuala's stone form. "Why did Mommy go?"

Abe shook his head and rose to his feet, so he stood next to her. "Your mother is a strange creature, Noemi, but she has a good heart…"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

The Old Angel of Death's part of Bethmoora was quiet and the flames inside the large jars flickered as if touched by an unnatural wind. She felt her child enter the room, long before she saw him. Her face never turned in his direction as she gazed at the changing images on her circle that showed the future. The eyes on her double wings narrowed at the sight of him.

"You have lost, Legionnaire," the Old One said, her voice as raspy as wind through fallen leaves as she drew back the cloak that was over her. "Brynn Leandra McKae of the Angels of Death and humanity has completed her soul once more. You cannot touch her child for she is shielded by her mother's love."

"And have you no love for me, Mother?" Legionnaire asked, his voice full of bitterness and smooth as silk. "You put me inside of Brynn McKae when she fell back to Earth in hopes that I would be exorcised and sent to Hell. Tell me, is this a mother's love?"

The Old One shook her head and straightened, towering over him with her height. "A mother will always love her son no matter how evil he may be… I know what must be done, as does Brynn." The eyes on her wings seemed to glow in the dim light. "You must be sent to Hell, Legionnaire before you do any more damage."

Legionnaire laughed and opened his arms. "Mother, you cannot send me to Hell. Your act of putting me in Brynn proves as much. I am all powerful, the all mighty…and you," he sneered at his mother, "you are a withered shadow of your former glory."

"And what does that make me?" Brynn's voice met the Old One's ears, causing the Old One to pale.

"You are not supposed to be here, Sister," the Old One said, turning her eyeless face towards the Halfling. "This doesn't involve you."

Legionnaire laughed. "Of course it involves her, Mother." He bowed to Brynn, mocking her in every way as she moved to stand by the Old One. "Hello, my sweet angel. Come to watch my mother pay for the grievous wounds she cast upon me?"

Brynn looked up at the older angel, who towered over her like she did with everyone. "He's your son?"

The Old One nodded, ashamed to admit it.

"Mother is not much for talking about her past," Legionnaire commented, his dark wings moving restlessly. "She has hidden much from you, Brynn." He smirked at the young angel. "Did she mention that she fell in love and fornicated with a fallen angel – my father – over a millennia ago? No; I can see the answer hiding in your eyes." He cast a sidelong glance at his mother. "She realized her actions, sent my father to Hell, and bore me in shame."

"Silence!" the Old One hissed, her raspy voice now had an edge of venom to it.

Legionnaire smirked and easily batted aside the lightning that the Old One threw at him. The crackling energy hit one of the large glass jars and the jar shattered the fire inside spreading across the floor. "Mother, you have no hope of beating me," he declared, stepping towards the two angels that opposed him. "Accept your fate with grace. Die with your dignity and foolish belief in a god."

The Old One braced herself for the attack that she knew was coming, but Brynn stepped in front of her. The little angel pulled out a gun with a strange name on it and fired it at Legionnaire, hitting him in the stomach. The wound steamed and black blood with a gold tint spewed from it.

_Holy bullets_, Old One thought as Brynn fired again, this time missing. _It is merely a trifling wound, weakening him but not killing him…To do that – _

The gun was blasted out of Brynn's hand and she was thrown back against one of the glass jars. The fire started to rise higher, choking the area with smoke. Brynn coughed and pulled her wings in when the fire encircled her. The Old Angel of Death moved in front of Brynn, shielding her from Legionnaire's burning gaze.

"Your fight is with me," the Old Angel of Death stated, holding her head high. "Sister, go. This does not concern you. Protect your child and your fated mate." The Old Angel of Death felt something change about her face, her beauty returning as her time on Earth grew close to its end. Brynn stared up at her with awe. "Do not forget me, Brynn McKae."

Legionnaire attacked the Old One as Brynn watched helplessly. The last thing that the Old One heard as Death took her in his arms was Brynn's scream.

"No, Old One!"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**A/N: Ha! Left ya hanging again! And I didn't make Brynn stay with Nuada and Nuala to greet them when they returned to their true, non-stone form. These shorter chapters are easier for me and my unfocused brain. Sorry if you don't like it. I hope some of you review this after reading. Thanks! ~ Scarlet **


	15. Chapter 15

**A/N: This story is probably one of my hardest to write. When writing it, my mind either draws a blank on what should happen next or goes so fast that my fingers can't keep up with my mind. Frankly, that sucks but I'm willing to continue on, if you can promise to be patient with me. Thanks Reinamarie Seregon for being one of the only reviewers. Your advice is always helpful…**

**Now on with the story!**

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Nuada opened his eyes and gasped for air, feeling his fated mate's scream take away air that he didn't yet possess. The thoughts of his sister returned, filling the space that had always been hers in his mind, but her calm thoughts could not relieve the rushing, panicked thoughts of his mate's. He sent his thoughts out towards Brynn's, searching for the cause of her panic as she was not in the same room as him like he had expected.

_Little angel, where are you?_

_**Oh God! He killed her! Old One, please get up! He killed her!**_

"Daddy," a little voice said, taking Nuada's attention from his mate. "Daddy, you're not cold still."

Nuada's gaze turned to the child's as he sat up. His fair child tempered by Brynn's angel-human beauty. She rocked back on her heels and frowned at him, as if knowing that he would not smile at her. He could hear her little heart beating next to him.

"Daddy," Noemi whispered, putting a hand over her heart. "Mommy's afraid."

_Even the child feels her mother's fear…Little angel, where are you?"_

Brynn's scream from above could be heard in the underground chamber that he was in. She was now close to him, but so far away. Nuada, so proud and strong, humbled himself by running out of the room with his child flying behind him. His fated mate's anguish was felt in every fiber of his being as he rushed out of the complex with the pathetic humans following him with human made weapons pointed in random directions. He didn't spare another glance at the human filth or his unwanted child as his eyes locked onto the form of his mate.

Rain pelted him as he walked slowly towards the grieving Halfling. She was cradling the head of a mysterious, tall woman in her lap, her crimson-tinted tears falling on the woman's face. Nuada saw the crumpled double wings of the woman and realized with a start that it was the Old One. She just didn't look like the withered creature that he had consulted before. No, she looked lovelier than Brynn did. Like an angel should.

_The crimes that the Old One committed have been atoned for_, Nuada thought, looking away from the deathly still angel to look at the sky. _Little angel, the Old One is free now. Do not cry for her, but be glad for she is now with her Creator._

"She wasn't supposed to die!" Brynn cried out in the old tongue of the angels, her eyes glowing with a dim blue light. "She saved me from the dark angel of Hell! Her son, he killed her because of me! It's my fault that she's dead!" She looked up at Nuada pleadingly. "I can bring her back and –"

"And dishonor her sacrifice?" Nuada tipped his head to the side as he crouched down next to her. "Little angel, let her go…you cannot bring her back."

Brynn's eyes pulsed with a blue light as she took notice of the humans running towards them, surrounding them from all sides. Nuada saw the look in her eyes and heard her thoughts, knowing what she wanted to do. He gave the slightest hint of a nod and his little angel turned her face away from him, her eyes gazing once more at the still beauty of the dead angel's face. Nuada watched as Brynn placed a single kiss on the Old One's temple and the Old One's form changed to that of thousands of white butterflies that flew away into the night.

The rushing of the humans stopped as they gazed in horror at what his little angel had done. Even the big red demon looked bothered.

"Why'd you do that?" Manning asked, looking horrified at her new found powers as he forced his way to the front of the group. "We could have studied that –"

Brynn stood up straight, the legs of her jeans blackened from contact with fire. Her wings rustled with impatience, anger. "Her."

"What?" Manning asked, looking uncertain.

"The Old One is a female," Brynn said, looking at him as if he was an idiot which Nuada deemed to be the truth. "And I will not allow you _study_ her because I know what that means." She shook her head sadly. "I will not allow you to dissect and mutilate her body like you do to every creature of the Old World that you encounter. I will not let you desecrate another angel's body after what you have done to me and Noemi."

Her eyes saddened as she looked out at the crowd of silent humans. Nuada could feel her longing to have Noemi in her arms, to be able to take her child away from the Bureau. Nuada simply wished that she would realize the danger that the fallen angel – Legionnaire – posed to their broken family if she took the child with her now.

_Little angel, we must work with these lumps of heartless flesh until we can find a way to send Legionnaire to Hell_, he thought, letting her touch his thoughts briefly. _Let Nuala worry about the child…_

Brynn sighed heavily and turned, walking away from the compound. Someone called out to ask where she was going. Nuada recognized the voice of Myers and saw the weak man emerge from the group of agents with Krauss and Hellboy beside him. He felt Brynn's spine stiffen and her blood boil at the sound of his voice.

"Back to the diner," Brynn muttered, opening her wings which were now as big – if not bigger – than her father's. "My maternity leave is over…Charles will be unhappy if I don't show up."

Nuada wished that she had been lying. That she wasn't heading back to the job of the lesser beings.But she wasn't. He was upset with her, bewildered by her judgment, and angered by the look on Myers' face – that relief was unwarranted.

Without looking back, Brynn flapped her great wings and flew through the air as the rain continued to pour…

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Brynn had missed the whole waitressing business. It had been months since she had worked at the little diner, but she still remembered each of her regulars' orders. She had missed Charles with his big white smile in stark contrast to his deep chocolate skin, and Caroline, who had French braided her newly blonde-dyed hair. Those two welcomed her back with bright smiles and hugs.

"Wow!" Caroline crooned, touching one of Brynn's wings hesitantly. "These have gotten so much bigger, did you have a growth spurt or something. And what's with the deep red?" She smiled up at Brynn. "Don't tell me that you tried dying your feathers?"

Brynn shook her head and glanced at her wings. "I didn't, but what happened is a long personal story and I'd rather not mention how this happened to me." She brushed a few crumbs off the counter and deposited them in the trash.

Caroline leaned her hips back against the counter and smiled. "Did you finally get together with Mr. Mysterious?" Brynn's face flushed with color and Caroline smacked her lightly on the arm. "Brynn! You did! Good for you!" She turned her head slightly to call over her shoulder at Charles. "Charlie! Our girl finally got herself some!"

Charles laughed from inside the kitchen. "Why do you think she was on maternity leave?" he called back. He peered out at Brynn. "How's the kid? Does she have your famous white wings?"

"And her father's dark eyes?" Caroline asked.

Brynn sighed, buckling under all the questions from her friends. "Noemi is fine, but she's not a normal baby. She looks and acts more like a toddler…And…" She swallowed nervously, wondering how much she should tell them. "She looks a lot like her father…and her wings are…lovely."

That seemed to satisfy Charles' curiosity, but not Caroline's. The blonde leaned towards Brynn conspiringly.

"Is he any good in bed?"

Brynn looked alarmed, her face flushing an even deeper pink. "What? Who asks a question like that?"

"I do." Caroline smiled. "I assume he's good in bed by the way you're blushing. Bee, you're so lucky to have someone like that. One day he just walks into your life and there was this strong sexual tension between the two of you…I'm surprised the neighborhood dogs didn't all go into heat at that moment…"

"Caroline!" Brynn hissed, smacking her friend with a pad of paper. "You're not supposed to say things like that when there are customers here."  
Caroline laughed and her green eyes glittered with happiness. "You know I'm just teasing…But honestly, could God have made a more perfect match than you and Mr. Mysterious?"

"We're not a perfect match. He's a prince – or king – I forget which and he's pure elf. I'm a waitress at a little diner and am half angel – half human thingamajig…" She looked at her friend. "He hates humans, Caroline."

"But he loves you enough to make a baby-toddler child," Caroline said, sounding like she'd watched one too many love guru inspirational movies. "That must mean something." Her smile turned mischievous. "Like he's got a working you-know-what and you've got wide birthing hips."

Brynn rolled her eyes. "I'm going to begin shunning you for the rest of the night."

Her senses picked up on the happiness of her coworker and boss, but they also prickled with a feeling of danger. Like she was being watched even in the storm that had come with the death of the Old One. She hoped it was one person and not the other. She hated the feeling of knowing that it was probably someone overbearingly protective of her when she had proven that she could make a stand against Legionnaire with little assistance from others.

_Don't get cocky…_Brynn chided herself within the safety of her head as she cleared off a table and collected the tip from under a cup. _You don't even know how to use all of your powers as skillfully as Nuada has learned to use his…_

_**Little angel…**_

Brynn sighed and looked out at the darkness. _Nuada…_

_**Why do you do the duty of the lowest creatures like some common servant?**_

_Because it puts a roof over me and my mother's head and pays the bills_. Brynn scraped the leftover food into the trash as she put the dirty dishes next to the dishwasher._ It humbles me. It connects me to the world and all of its people…_

_**Angels do not need to worry about connections – **_

_You're wrong, Nuada. Angels are there to help the people, to protect them and guide them when they need help._ She nodded to something that Charles said and grabbed the coffee pot, refilling a patron's cup. _Think of what the world would be like if angels didn't help anyone…We'd have a bunch of Julius and Legionnaire wannabes running around the world. That is not how God wants His world to become. Can't you understand that_?

Before Nuada could respond, a sickening feeling overtook Brynn. She set the coffee pot down as her knees grew weak and grasped onto the counter to keep herself upright. The power flickered and went out, leaving the diner in complete darkness.

"Well folks," Charles said, coming out of the kitchen with a flashlight shining in hand, "looks like we've got a power outage. I'd like to keep you all here until the rain lets up a little because there's no point in you being in the dark and getting soaked. As my treat, you can have as many of the desserts on the counter as you like. We can't have them melting on us…"

"Charles!" Caroline exclaimed from somewhere in the darkness. "There's something outside. Something big."

Brynn turned slowly and looked out the glass front of the store. There was definitely something out there and Brynn felt the cold familiarity of knowing what it was – who it was. Knowing what the unknown creature was put strength back into Brynn. Her wings rustled with irritation and she maneuvered herself out from behind the counter, throwing her apron and notepad on it as she headed for the door. Caroline grabbed her by the arm and pulled her to a stop before she made it to the door.

"Where do you think you're going?" Caroline demanded in a hushed whisper. "It's pitch black and storming out there! And there's something really big and bad outside. We need to call someone!"

"I know what's out there," Brynn said quietly, looking down at Caroline as she carefully extracted her arm from the blonde's ironclad grip. "If you have to call anyone, call the Bureau. They'll clean up the mess…"

"Mess?" Caroline nearly shrieked.

"Calm down," Brynn instructed, unsure if she was just telling Caroline to calm down or if she was also telling herself. "Everything is going to be all right."

_Nuada…_

_**Little angel, I sense your fear.**_

_Yeah, I need to work on not letting you know everything that's going on with me. Listen, I've got something really important and really stupid to do…could you keep the berating to yourself for a little while?_

Brynn felt his body tense through their bond. _**The fallen angel is at your poor excuse of employment…**_

_Maybe he is, maybe he isn't. Something is out there, that's all I know and I'm going to get rid of it. _

_**Brynn Leandra McKae! Do nothing until I get there.**_

_Too late_, Brynn thought, opening the door and walking out in the darkness of the storm. _You can come if you want, but I think it'll be over either way before you can pull out your sword and wave it like a pro._

_**Brynn!**_

_I need to concentrate, so shush it…_

Brynn felt her powers reawaken in her body, the tingling sensation lasting longest in her hands. Her eyes glowed softly in the darkness and she raised her wings over her head to keep the rain from hitting her face so she could see. "You are not welcome here, Legionnaire," she stated bluntly, "and definitely not amongst the angels."

Legionnaire tipped his head to the side, his dark eyes pulsating with a red light. "And you are, sweet angel-Halfling?" Legionnaire asked with a dangerously charming smile. "After you ran like a coward when Mother rejoined her Master, do you honestly believe that you would be welcome among the Lord's angels?"

Brynn heard whispering voices around them and the sound of a thousand souls crying out from beyond death. The Old One had taught her not to fear these voices, but also not to trust them. Too many heavy emotions lurked in these voices and they would simply overwhelm even the greatest angel of death.

"You're not going to fool me with simple mind tricks," Brynn muttered, raising a hand to brush back a wet tendril of hair. She saw Legionnaire tense at the movement, though she hadn't done anything to him yet. "So why don't we move on?"

"As you wish, my sweet Halfling," Legionnaire hissed, making an exaggerated bow to mock her.

Brynn could feel her heart race faster as she watched him for the tell-tale signs that would indicate which move he'd make first. Old One had told her that his fighting style was just like hers, so she had learned the Old One's signs. Still, she was unprepared for the ball of black energy that he threw at her as he charged towards her. She shrieked and threw herself out of the path of both of them, twisting herself up into the air by with a single beat of her wings.

She pulled out Big Baby again and fired blessed bullets at him, blowing holes into his flesh and tearing at his twitching muscles. Brynn wasn't exactly sure why she was using HB's gun, but it felt right.

_It's weakening him_, Brynn thought, dodging another charged attack. _He's getting slower…_A hollow clicking sound resounded in the darkness from the gun in her hand. _Darn it! Out of bullets already? _

She dropped the gun with a yelp as crackling black energy grazed her side, leaving a cold feeling in its wake. Legionnaire growled menacingly, his gold-tinted blood pouring from where the bullets were embedded within him. Brynn felt her heart race even faster and felt her legs ache though she was not doing more than flying around low to the ground. She realized she was feeling what Nuada was feeling through their bond as he jumped from building to building to the ground below to get to her in time. Brynn couldn't think much about him at the moment as Legionnaire came charging at her again, long dirty black nails curled into claws.

"Legionnaire of the Damned," Nuada's voice came from atop the diner's roof, chilling Brynn with its cold hostility. "You will pay with your life for injuring an angel of a higher rank."

"And killing the Old One," Brynn added, throwing lightning at Legionnaire when he was distracted by Nuada.

Legionnaire landed on one knee on the ground, the shadows of the night stretching out to touch him. Brynn was prepared to attack him again as he closed his wings around himself. Now that he was weakened she was sure she could finish him off with little help from Nuada. But as she drew her hand back with lightning sparking from it, she heard him laugh quietly.

"What is so funny?" she demanded, caught off guard by his amusement as Nuada prepared to fire an arrow through the fallen angel's wings. "You're going to die…How can you find humor in that?"

Legionnaire slowly opened his wings and the lightning in Brynn's hand died. Within the circle of his arms was a pre-teen Noemi, her wings dark and full, folded and chained so that she couldn't fly away.

"Noemi…!"

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**A/N: I always leave a cliff hanger in the end of my chapters. Why? One, it's a bad habit. Two, good authors tend to do that to increase the suspense. And three, that's where my mind cuts off. Don't like it, leave. I'm doing this for my entertainment and if you find it entertaining too, that's a bonus. Please read AND REVIEW. If I read your story, I'd review it, so please share the same courtesy. Thanks! ~ Scarlet**


	16. Chapter 16

**A/N: I have no idea where I'm going or what I'm doing in this story. I've just been typing everything that comes to mind as I work on this, so bear with me. I will eventually get to something cohesive, so give me time. Thanks for your patience and support so far.**

**OOOOOOOOOOOO**

"Mom!" Noemi's voice rang out in the darkness. "Shoot! Shoot!"

Brynn didn't move until she heard Nuada fire an arrow. She jumped in the way and let the arrow pierce her shoulder. "Nuada, don't!" she ordered when Nuada moved to stand next to her, bow drawn.

"You should not have gotten in the way," Nuada said quietly, his eyes never turning from Legionnaire and his first born. "The Beast is weakened. We will not have an opportunity like this again…"

"Dad! Shoot!" Noemi shouted, her pale hair disheveled as she pulled against the chains that Legionnaire had around her. To Brynn, she looked like a wild animal straining to be free of a trap. "Mom, finish him off! Please!"

Brynn grabbed hold of the arrow that was lodged in her shoulder and pulled it out with a sharp intake of breath that her fated mate shared. "Nuada…"

Nuada's gaze flickered in her direction for a split second before returning to his target. "Foul Beast, release the Child and your death will be swift and painless."

"I want to see the sweet Halfling beg," Legionnaire said his voice full of pain and darkness. His dark eyes met Brynn's. "Beg sweet Brynn…beg for your daughter."

Brynn took a step towards the two fallen angels – one her enemy and one her child. The strength of the Old One had comforted and protected her during their first battle before her daughter was thrown into the mix, but no longer.

**Draw on the strength of the Angels above**, Old One's voice seemed to whisper in her head. **Do not let anger or fear blind you to what must be done…**

The Fallen Angel of the Damned sneered at Brynn as she straightened her spine. "Beg little angel…" He took a deep breath, the sound rasping in his throat through the pain of his injuries. "I can taste your fear…beg for mercy."

Brynn felt something stir within her, a new strength. "Pitiful Creature of Darkness, I shall not beg for the life of my daughter. I will fight for her…and send you to the Lake of Fire in which you belong." She looked at her daughter who stared alternately at her and Nuada as if wondering which one would make their move first. "Be prepared to run."

The daughter of Nuada and Brynn's love nodded, becoming still. Brynn summoned the lightning to her hands and her eyes glowed with a white-blue light, reflecting in Legionnaire's pitch black stare. She felt more people around her, could feel the strength of those in the diner who were watching this battle from within the safety of the building. It brought peace to her knowing that so many people were supporting her and her mate.

"Nuada, fire," she said quietly as he waited for her command.

Without a moment's hesitation, Nuada fired an arrow at the two fallen angels though his aim was at Legionnaire's heart. Brynn tossed lightning at it, adding her powers to make sure the arrow would do more damage. Nuada was already firing another arrow when Noemi ducked away from the fallen angel who was holding her hostage, the chains pulling tight as she fought to stay low to the ground. Legionnaire's eyes narrowed and he coughed up blood as the arrows pierced his chest and went out the back.

Brynn took one of Nuada's arrows from his quiver and touched her arrow wound, covering her fingers in the blood. She rubbed her fingers against the arrowhead and whispered a small prayer over it. Nuada took the blessed arrow and fired it without saying a word, reading Brynn's racing thoughts.

_I need to get to Noemi_, Brynn thought, taking another step towards Legionnaire. _Nuada, keep Legionnaire busy and cover me…_

_**Be careful, little angel.**_

Brynn nodded and ran towards Legionnaire, firing lightning to keep him back away from her child. She gained so much momentum in her run that she was able to jump into the air and kick the fallen angel back onto his back. Noemi hurried to her feet and drew the chains tighter, holding them so her father could break the chain with a precisely shot arrow.

Legionnaire was beginning to rise again and Brynn quickly pushed Noemi behind her body, blocking the child from Legionnaire's sight.

_**Little angel take the Child and leave this place**_, Nuada instructed, throwing his bow and quiver aside as he drew the spear that had almost killed Hellboy.

_I've let too many people tell me leave them behind_, Brynn thought back at him, keeping her gaze turned to Legionnaire. _I can't leave you behind…I can't lose you again, Nuada!_

Legionnaire chuckled darkly as he rose to his feet, blood spewing down his chest. "Do you think that puny weapon could kill me?" he asked Nuada. "It is not a blessed weapon…it has not yet tasted the blood of the angels." He looked at Brynn, the chains that had bound her daughter at her feet. "This is not over, sweet Brynn. You have wounded me and therefore another member of your group…" He smirked as she paled. "His soul was ripe for taking and the darkness was welcomed in his vessel…"

"Who did you attach your spirit to?" Brynn demanded, approaching him. "Tell me!"

Legionnaire stared down his nose at her as she stood mere inches from him. "You shall find out soon, sweet little angel. And when you do, I will be there to bring you into the darkness."

Brynn pulled her hand back to throw lightning at him, but he beat his wings with the sound of chains rattling and flew away into the darkness of the storm, leaving his horrible laughter to mix in the air.

"Mom!" Noemi exclaimed from behind her. "Mom, are you all right?"

Brynn turned slowly, her eyes still scanning the sky for any sign of Legionnaire. The sounds of death that came with him were fading and she allowed herself the luxury of relaxing. "I'm fine, Noemi," she said, looking at her child. "But are you?"

Noemi's face flushed with color. "I…"

Brynn smiled slightly and knelt down in front of her daughter. "He trapped you here, didn't he, little Spirit? He gave you the guise of my daughter as an older version of her because he knows that she has aged faster than I did when I was a baby." The girl nodded and looked embarrassed, almost ashamed. "There is nothing to be ashamed of, Spirit. You were trapped in a bad place and now, you're free."

"Thank you," the little spirit whispered.

Brynn pressed a kiss to the spirit's forehead and the spirit glowed for a moment, before turning into a bunch of glowing white butterflies. She straightened as Nuada approached her from behind. He did not look in wonder at the butterflies flying towards the heavens as the rain fell, but he did look at her. She could feel his heated stare on her back.

"You're angry," she whispered, keeping her back to him though she made no move to walk away.

Nuada said in a low voice, "You disobeyed me, caused the fallen angel to go heal himself and you did it all for a child that was already dead."

Brynn braced herself for the stinging words to come out of him again. That cold anger that he had unleashed upon her once before…but it did not come. She turned herself around slightly and looked at him. There was a sort of smile on his face that he only shared with her.

"You acted the part of an angel," he stated, brushing tendril of her dark hair behind her ear, his knuckles brushing against her warm skin. "The Old One would be proud…"

Brynn smiled at him and looked up at the sky, at the darkness above. Rain fell gently upon her now and had already soaked her clothes so that they had become a second skin, making her feel a little self-conscious. Her wings instinctively stretched and provided some relief from the rain, but could not shield her from the cold.

"I better get back to work," she said, glancing over at her fated mate. "My shift's not over until 12 a.m. and then –" She flinched as she heard sirens suddenly pierce the night. "Nuada, go. They don't need to catch you here."

"Nor you," Nuada said, stowing his spear and grabbing his bow and quiver.

Brynn rolled her eyes and marched past him, heading for the diner's doors as the light flickered back into life. "Go get our child. She's no longer safe in the Bureau, even with everyone keeping an eye on her. Take her and my mother somewhere that they'll be protected, like a church or somewhere sacred. Legionnaire can't go on hallowed ground…"

When she turned around at the door, he was no longer there. She sighed, knowing things were going to get worse before they'd get better.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Nuada!" Abe protested as the dark elf prince carried a sleepy Noemi down a hall. "You can't take her from here where she is safe!"

"Safe? Do not play dumb, Abraham," Nuada said, turning to glance at the blue creature. "The Angel of the Damned has already broken through your defenses, defeated your allies, and nearly killed your false Oracle. How is that safe?"  
Abe looked to Nuala for help in persuading Nuada, but Nuada had already made up his mind. Nuala lowered her gaze and said nothing, quietly giving in.

"Abraham," Nuada said, looking at him once more, "do not think for a moment that anyone is safe here. None of the children, men, women, or creatures of 'good' here are safe. This is not hallowed ground."

"But-"

"Daddy," Noemi whispered with sleepiness in her voice as her eyelids started to close. "Where is Mommy? I miss her."

Nuada glanced down at the child in his arms. She looked up at him through her dark lashes and smiled the smile he had seen in pictures of her mother when Brynn had been a small child. _There is more of her mother in her than is evident of her breeding_, Nuada thought, shielding his mind from both his sister and fated mate. _She is rather pleasant looking…_

"That is not something to worry about, child," Nuada told her as he started walking again. "You will be with your grandmother in a location that is safe. A hallowed place."

"Oh…" Noemi yawned and nuzzled closer to him. "I love you, Daddy."

The corner of his lips twitched up in a small surprised smile. The child had never reacted to him this way before, usually hiding behind fair Nuala's skirt whenever he was around. For a fallen angel, she was remarkably loving and nice unlike that child that he had heard when she was a baby tainted by evil.

_There is some promise in this one_, Nuada mused, ignoring Abe's voice as he disappeared into the shadows with the child.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Brynn stood there amidst the flashing of the Bureau's cars and news reporters, impatiently waiting for when she could go home. She wanted to go home now because she was suddenly not feeling well. Her senses were hypersensitive at that moment and she couldn't help but look at all the people in the Bureau that were there, looking for the unfortunate soul that was now tied to Legionnaire's. She had been able to feel Nuada's thoughts awhile ago, but couldn't read them because he had shielded them from her. Now she could feel his impatience for her keeping him waiting.

"I don't know where he went," Brynn said to a Bureau official for the twentieth time. "Legionnaire just took off and I don't know where he decided to go to heal. Why don't you check the nearest hospitals instead of bothering me? They might know something more." She winced as a paramedic applied a bandage to her still bleeding shoulder wound. "Dammit! Can you please be more careful? I'm not Hellboy."

The paramedic muttered an apology and backed off, finally finished. Brynn moved away from the back of the ambulance and looked around them. Suddenly, spirits were crying out from beyond the grave and Brynn swayed at the sudden bombardment of their pain. She stared in shock as the voices of death grew stronger, louder as if they were approaching her.

"Oh God," she whispered. "Not you."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**A/N: This turned out better than I thought it would, so I hope to get some reviews. Even if they are criticisms that aren't very nice. I'll take anything at this point. Happy Holidays! ~Scarlet**


	17. Chapter 17

**A/N: I've decided that since this story is becoming a hassle to work on, that I will be ending it on chapter twenty. This is partially due to writer's block, lack of motivation, and scarce reviews mixed together.**

**To those that do review like my good friend (you know who you are), I thank you for your support and help with this story. Even if my story is a Mary-Sue soap opera, I thank you for your support.**

**Now on with the story…**

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

"Not you," Brynn whispered, staring at the man in front of her in horror.

"Why not me?" Myers asked, putting his hand on her arm. She flinched at his touch and drew away from him. "Brynn, what's wrong?"

Brynn shook her head and looked out at the crowd of agents around the area. "You're not Myers. Not just Myers anymore…"

"What are you talking about? I'm Myers, the same guy you like avoiding."

The angel turned her gaze back to him for a brief moment. "You're not and I can prove it." She ripped the bandage off her arm and put her finger against the slow trickle of blood still coming from the shrinking arrow wound.

Myers stood still, watching her carefully. Brynn smeared a sloppy cross against his forehead and stepped back, her wings unfolding as the blood started steaming. Myers cried out in pain and held his face, twisting violently away from her.

"Oh Myers," she sighed, "you poor, unfortunate soul…" She looked at Hellboy who was approaching them with a grim look on his face. "HB, he's the host that Legionnaire was talking about…Legionnaire attached his spirit to Myers' soul, leeching the light out of his system."

"I know, Mama Bird," HB said, knocking Myers on the head so that the possessed man crumpled to the ground, unconscious. "Rhetorical Oracle told us that he was the one that tried to kill her. We just didn't believe her."

"Well, believe."

Brynn watched a special team of agents surround Myers' crumpled form and they placed wards around him. HB put a hand on her shoulder for a moment with a sigh.

_**Little angel…**_

"It's not over," Brynn whispered, ignoring her soul mate and looking back at HB. "Even if you destroy the evil that is attached to Myers' soul, Legionnaire is out there. He's weakening, but he's still out there."

"We'll stop him, but first we'll deal with Myers." He turned when someone called out to him. The reporters were pressing closer towards the barrier. "You better get out of here. I know you don't like publicity…and this is about to become very pubic."

Brynn's wings lowered and she hugged Hellboy. "Be careful," she whispered.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Nuada looked up when he heard the beating of wings. The rain had continued to fall for hours now and he saw no end in sight. Brynn landed on the roof with little grace and her wings immediately went up to shield her from the rain. Nuada was taken away by the beauty of the angel in her, but the human qualities tempered his feeling for her. She would always be part of something he honored and part of something he detested, he realized.

"He attached himself to Myers," Brynn told him as he approached her. "Of all the people in my life, he had to choose Myers…"

Nuada's expression turned dark. "Will they kill him?"

"No. They're going to exorcise him like they did to me and send the darkness attached to his spirit to Hell." Brynn peered up at him. "Why? Do you want him to die?" She sighed as his expression remained dark. "I forgot you hate humans."

Nuada's expression softened a little as he reached out and touched the arrow wound. Brynn shuddered under his fingers and he could feel her pain through their bond. "Not all humans," he said quietly, "simply most."

Nuada drew his fingers away from her wound and looked at the cooling blood that stained his fingertips. "You should not have gotten in the way, little angel…"

"Your arrows would have had no effect on him. You need blessed weapons to take on a fallen angel…That's how Julius was killed – the weapon I used on him was a blessed weapon." She gestured at the blood staining his fingertips. "You could use blood or angels' tears or holy water…" Brynn ran a hand through her dark hair. "Besides, I couldn't let you hurt the Child Spirit…she needed our help."

"You knew it was not our child before you moved in the way of my arrow?"

Brynn nodded and looked away from him as a police car sped by on the road below, its siren blaring in the night. "A mother knows her child – we have a bond like the soul mate bond that we share, Nuada. Noemi couldn't have gotten that old in such a short time, but my maternal instincts kicked in when I saw a child threatened," Brynn explained quietly. "I know the Child Spirit is safe now, back with her God." She looked at him once more. "Are Noemi and my mother someplace safe?"

Nuada bowed his head slightly, keeping his thoughts shielded from her and his sister lest the location of Brynn's hidden family be revealed. Brynn smiled and put a hand against his cheek for a moment, her hand warm against his pale skin. As he had before he passed away a second time, Nuada was touched by her gentleness. It was almost as if she thought he were a fragile creature instead of the great, hardened warrior that he had been for centuries.

"Thank you, Nuada." Brynn said, lowering her wings. "I'll never be able to repay you for all the kindness you have shown me and my family…" She smiled once more, shyly this time. "I have news for you –"

She cut off speaking suddenly and stumbled backwards, pressing a hand to her temple. Nuada rushed towards her, catching her around the waist to keep her from falling. Immediately, his senses reached towards hers in search of what was wrong. Brynn shook her head, her thoughts erratic as she tried to make sense of what her angelic senses were trying to convey to her human side.

"What is it, little angel?" Nuada asked. "Is it the Devil's Sworn?"

Brynn nodded and then shook her head again. "I – I don't know! I think it's Myers…no! It's _both _of them!" She looked at Nuada, so many thoughts flashing and crashing into one another her eyes. "Nuada, go to the Troll Market. Get a blessed weapon and go to the Bureau complex. Something is about to happen and it's not going to be pretty."

Nuada stared at her with worry in his dark eyes as she pulled away from him. "Little angel –"

"Nuada, go!" Brynn commanded, her voice echoing with power. "You go with an angel's blessing." She offered a small smile. "The Old One is with us."

With that, she beat her wings and flew off into the storming night. Nuada watched her fly away until he could see her no more. Then he turned and started running, jumping from building to building.

_May the gods watch over us_, he thought.

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Noemi sat with her human grandmother in the brightly lit room that her father had led them into. Though she was unsure why she'd been taken away from Nuala, she could feel in her heart that she was doing the right thing. Daria McKae was just as nice as her Aunt Nuala and told her stories about her mother. She realized she loved her grandmother just as much as she loved her mother, father, Nuala, and Abraham.

"Grandma?" Noemi whispered, looking up into the warm eyes of Daria. "I miss Mommy."

Daria smiled sweetly and transferred her granddaughter onto her lap. "I do too, but do you want to know a secret?"

Noemi nodded enthusiastically. She didn't exactly know what a secret was, but it sounded like a big girl word. And she wanted to prove she was a big girl.

"Your mommy is right here," Daria said, placing a gentle hand over Noemi's heart.

The little fallen angel's face lit up with a happy smile. "Always?"

"Always."

Noemi clapped her hands together excitedly. Daria started to tell her another story when the candles surrounding them flickered as if touched by a wind. Noemi felt a chill settle in her stomach and tears came to her eyes, making her snuggle closer to her grandmother. Daria held her tightly and made soothing noises to comfort the scared toddler.

"Mommy!" Noemi cried as the candles flickered again.

"Shh, little one, it's all right," Daria crooned, petting her granddaughter's hair. "We're safe from all evil here." She got a stern look on her face as she looked beyond the circle of candles. "I bind out the evil forces encroaching upon this hallowed ground, in Jesus' name."

Noemi didn't understand what her grandmother said, but she suddenly felt safer. Her tears slowed and she calmed down a little.

"Mommy's in trouble," she whispered before looking up at her grandmother's face. "Ask Jesus to see her and keep her safe…please."

Daria nodded and touched the crucifix around her neck. "Let's pray together, Noemi…"

Noemi touched the necklace around her grandmother's neck and closed her eyes. _Please be with my Mommy and Daddy, Jesus…_

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**A/N: Short and a little choppy, I know. Did anyone catch what Brynn was trying to tell Nuada? Mary-Sue action, yep so feel free to flame me. I like flames because they keep me warm where I'm at – not to mention the virtual smores I make for every nice person who reviews me. Just review me and I'll get working on the next three final chapters. Thanks! ~ Scarlet**


	18. Chapter 18

**A/N: So, I've noticed a decline in the number of reviews and favorites for the story. This would normally bother me, but I know why many of you don't like this story anymore or even from the beginning. I admit that I didn't think about the characters very much when I started writing this piece and therefore couldn't make them "fleshed out" characters. My way of writing is simple, lacking the elegance that is required of writing both Nuala and Nuada and their mannerisms. Hell, I was too lazy to go back into the prequel and correct Myers' name.**

**I am sorry that I didn't give you a polished piece that will stick with you for a long time, but to those who stuck with me this far and who still have a liking for this Mary-Sue soap opera, I give you this update.**

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

Myers was crying out in pain as he was being exorcised in a large room when Brynn found the group. Part of her wished that she hadn't had to be there because while Myers was being exorcised of his new demonic attachment, the real Legionnaire was battling Hellboy and other members of the Bureau. And they were already heavily damaged. Brynn tore her eyes away from Myers and the battle at hand to look at Krauss, Abe, and Nuala who were performing the exorcism. Kendra was standing between the warzone and the spiritual warzone, using her mysterious Oracle powers to keep back the shadows that were creeping towards the ones who were battling the evil in Myers. Brynn felt ill as the sounds of death and the spirits of the dead echoed in her head.

"About time you showed up," Kendra commented, glancing towards the young angel Halfling. Brynn was surprised to see that the Oracle looked happy, almost as if she was enjoying herself. "There's plenty to do and lots of action…Pick a place to start and finish old Legionnaire off." She laughed and batted aside some shadow fingers. Hellboy came flying past, collapsing against a wall. "Whelp, there goes the red ape…HB!" she called. "Use holy weapons, ya stinking ape!"

"Shut up, Rhetorical!" Hellboy snapped, climbing to his feet and pulling out Big Baby. "I know what I'm doing!"

"Obviously not!" Kendra turned around to face Brynn suddenly. "Watch out!"

Brynn looked down and saw that the shadow tendrils were lifting from the ground and snaking around her leg. The instant they touched her skin, Brynn felt a chill spread through her body. Whispering words filled her head and Brynn shuddered, willing the new voices in her head to leave.

_The Lord is my Sheppard, I shall not want_, Brynn thought, remembering her favorite Psalm and how her mother had recited it for her from memory every time Brynn was scared.

As she let the words of the Psalm echo in her head, she noticed that a warmth was spreading from her heart throughout her body. The chill of the shadow tendrils could not compete with the warmth and they shrunk away, flinching at the touch of the light radiating from Brynn's skin.

Kendra nodded in approval. "That's _one _way to do it."

Brynn grabbed the Oracle by the hand and pulled her back behind her. "_Stay here and protect the innocent, Oracle," _she said in a commanding tone.

"Don't you dare use angelic tongue on me, Brynn-y Poo," Kendra ordered sweetly. Brynn turned her glowing blue gaze upon the Oracle. "And don't you _dare _pretend to be a real angel…Because a real angel isn't what we need over here," Kendra added, pointing past Brynn. "We need one over there to take on the big-scary-bird-face-dude."

Brynn turned to watch Hellboy get thrown again. Her eyes connected with Legionnaire's and his black eyes burned with anger and evil. He was challenging her to fight him one-on-one, knowing that she had little experience fighting a fallen angel – without dying or having someone save her. Brynn's stare did not waver as she took a step towards the fallen angel who had done so much to the people she loved, including Myers.

**Do not fear the demons that he brings with him**, the Old One's voice said in her head as the fallen angel lifted his hands slowly, black energy tinted in red seeping from his hands into the floor. **Though they bite at your flesh, their cold dark energy chilling you, you will feel no pain…The Angels on High are with you...do not be afraid.**

Brynn watched shadow beasts with red eyes rise from the ground and start walking towards her. The angel Halfling's heart started pumping faster as her fight-or-flight instincts kicked in. Without caring what Hellboy shouted at her, Brynn entered the fight…

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Hellboy put more holy ammo in Big Baby and pointed the gun at the shadow beasts from Hell that were now racing towards Brynn. He blew holes through several of them but not in time to save several Bureau agents who were mauled. And what bothered him the most was how the angel Halfling was walking, seemingly unfazed, towards the beasts.

"Mama Bird!" he called, rushing forward, gunshots echoing from his gun. "Get your scrawny ass back here!"

Brynn, being the Mary-Sue angel Halfling that she was, ignored him. Hellboy watched her throw lightning at the shadow beasts which tore into her skin, without wincing at their bites. Her eyes were glowing and had a blank but all-seeing stare to them when he finally made it to her side, punching them with his rock fist.  
"Oh no, you don't!" Hellboy said, grabbing her by the shoulder. "Don't go all blank on me, Mama Bird!"

She turned her gaze towards him and he felt his hand start to burn, smoking rising from the appendage. "_Let us go __Anung un Rama_," she said in an echoing voice. "_Fight if you will, but Legionnaire of the Damned is ours to fight…_"

Hellboy shook his head and fired off another round of bullets. "That's not going to happen. You get your little butt back behind Rhetorical the Oracle and leave the fighting to someone more experienced."

Brynn lifted her hands, blue energy crackling in her palms and stared at him. "_The Angels on High are with this Halfling…Do not question our experience for we have been fighting fallen angels since time began, Anung un Rama."_

The red demon rolled his eyes. "Stop with the Almighty Angel bid, Mama Bird. This isn't the time to play games."

"_We never play games where lives are at stake_," Brynn said, though Hellboy now had a feeling that he wasn't talking to the actual girl.

The angel Halfling turned her hands, palms out, to the nearest beasts that were attacking them and "vaporized" them…at least, that was the only way that Hellboy could describe it. Hellboy knocked more off of her arm and put more ammo in his gun.

"Like I said, you need some cover fire," he said, cocking his gun. "Let's take this bastard down."

Brynn didn't look at him or say a word before beating her wings and propelling herself up into the air.

Hellboy sighed and shook his head."This is going to end badly."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Nuada felt the pain that his mate was feeling, but was still too far away to help her. Slung across his back was the weapon she had sent him after. A weapon that seven hundred seventy-seven angels had blessed in the Lord's name with their tears and blood. He did not want to think of the weapons that he had used that were blessed with his soul mate's blood; far too many had been blessed by the blood of his little Halfling.

He jumped from building to building, each leap as dangerous as the next with the rain slicking the roofs and sides of the buildings. The Elven prince did not stop running though. He could not stop running for there was a battle awaiting him at the Bureau compound of concrete buildings, an underground prison for all the Old Ones who had inhabited the Earth long before the building was constructed.

The Bureau compound was now in sight, surrounded by a fence and guards, but the dark Elf prince could smell blood in the air. As he leapt from the top of a building and landed on all fours, he could hear the dogs baying as they sniffed at their fallen masters. The gate looked bent as if a giant force had crashed through it.

_**Nuada…**_

The Elven prince ran faster, his lungs full of the scent of blood. _Sister, I am coming, _he thought back to Nuala.

He could not read Brynn's thoughts as he ran through the Bureau, taking a secret way down that only he knew about, and that chilled him from within. All he could feel was her pain through the bond they shared and not one thought could get beyond the massive wall someone had placed between them.

The big red demon went flying past him as he entered the room where two separate battles were taking place and collapsed against a wall for what appeared to be the third time. Nuada did not spare the demon another look as his gaze wandered to the exorcism of the human who had kissed his beloved mate several months ago. The man was lying on the ground, breathing heavily within a sacred circle, as the others finished banishing the evil attachment of Legionnaire from his spirit in the name of their God. The 'false' Oracle was keeping the fallen angel's evil shadow tendrils away from the exorcism and all its participants. Nuala, however, was watching something beyond them with rapt attention and the worried expression on her face, stirred a feeling that he had not felt before he had stumbled across his soul mate.

_Little angel…_

Nuada turned his dark gaze to the battle that was taking place high above their heads. Brynn was there, her blood spilling from many wounds, as she took on Legionnaire. But she was not alone…

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

**A/N: I don't mind anymore if you don't review…so if you don't feel like reviewing, follow your gut instinct. I'm just writing now to complete this story for those who care about the ending and the tying up of loose ends. Thanks. ~ Scarlet**


	19. Chapter 19

**A/N: I'd like to thank you, my Anonymous Reviewers and Ilkar…, for supporting the story this far and for encouraging me to continue writing this story until the end, but this is not the last chapter. No, there's one more after this, but sorry to my most recent anonymous reviewer there is not going to be another lemon…at least, not in this story because after the next chapter, I'm done with this story for good.**

**Here's your update, so smile.**

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

Nuada was struck with emotion as he watched semi-transparent seraphim of the highest order of angels fight alongside his mate. It had been centuries since a seraph had come down to Earth and graced it with their powers. Their six wings did not move as they propelled themselves alongside Brynn, giving her strength in numbers, but even they could not prevent her blood from dripping down upon the ground so far below. A painful knot formed in his stomach as he realized that his mate – so unskilled at fighting – was losing her life's blood for a world that was not worth saving.

_**Nuada…don't think such things.**_

The Elven prince pulled his new weapon free of the sling across his back and destroyed several of the shadow beasts that rose against him. _Little angel?_

Brynn threw Legionnaire into a wall and watched him slide down it to the floor where he crumpled. Her eyes turned to her mate's and Nuada saw that her eyes were back to blue-grey, no longer glowing. She landed on the ground between him and the fallen angel, her back partially turned away from Legionnaire.

_**Listen Nuada because I don't have much time before he rises again and they take over…This world **_**is **_**worth saving. Humanity is worth saving, just like all the Old Beings are. So many men have fought in this battle and have lost their lives…don't dishonor their sacrifice.**_

Nuada nodded once. _Little angel, you bleed –_

Brynn knocked him to the ground and shielded the two of them with her wings. A split second later, a ball of dark energy flew over their heads. She drew her breath in as a hiss and Nuada saw that several of her feathers were blackened. Her blood touched him, dripping lightly on his face before she moved away from him. Her eyes started glowing again and the seraphim landed around the two of them.

**Pick up your weapon Nuada Silverlance of the Elves and do not be afraid**, the voice seemed to come from Brynn and the seraphim though no one opened their mouth. **The Angel of the Damned will fall and the Halfling will be returned to you…Be ready to do what is necessary with the Weapon of Angel Tears. **

"I will your Majesties," Nuada said quietly, reverently bowing his head in acknowledgement that he was not the highest ranked creature in the room at that moment.

More shadow beasts approached them and Nuada adjusted his grip on the holy weapon in his hands.

**Let us finish this…**

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Myers felt someone tapping his face as he came to and opened his eyes. "I'm awake," he said, staring up at the ceiling as he tried to clear his vision.

"No you're not," Kendra told him before kicking him in the groin. Myers jerked up and held himself. "Now you are, you Apostate of Evil."

"Was that necessary?" Myers grounded out from between clenched teeth.

"Yes." Kendra reached down and pulled him to his feet by his ear. "Now tell everyone who's soft, squishy, and human to get out of here before more of them die." Her white eyes were soft with the pain of what she could foresee. "Because that's what is going to happen if they stick around here…and I know you don't want to have to make that many phone calls to grieving family members, so please listen to me, Myers.."

Myers turned his gaze away from the Oracle and saw that Krauss was joining the battle against the shadow beasts. Dozens of the Bureau's people were on the floor, unmoving and unfeeling towards anything. More were pouring into the room but the Oracle had a magical wall up against them, though the shadow beasts were making a dent in it. He could see how the effort to keep the wall up was draining her energy.

"All right," Myers agreed and started ordering the other squishy humans out of the room. "Princess Nuala, Abe, you two please come with us."

As the people started rushing back out of the room, Myers turned to look back at the Oracle. She smiled faintly and let the wall drop…

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Kendra watched Myers force the others out of the room and just as he cleared the door and turned to look back at her, she let her wall drop. _I've lived a good life_, she thought as the shadow beasts started to overtake her. _Fought some good battles and saved plenty of lives…It's time for me to go…_

The Oracle turned and looked over at Hellboy fighting the shadow beasts off like a pro. The only thing she regretted about not living through this was the fact that she'd never make him pay for making her watch the dopiest movies with oracles in them.

_No, that's not it…I won't be able to watch him become the good father that I've seen him become in my visions…_She smiled softly. _The twins will love him and hate him, but mostly love him like me…_

Her eyes then turned to Brynn and Nuada, a couple she never foresaw as working out. _Brynn, I'll miss you the most… you've made so many of my years full of fun, laughter, and good times, even after I was the cause for your death…_She felt a tug at her heartstrings and would have hugged herself if a beast wasn't working its way through her arm. _Good times, eh? Take care of her Nuada…or else…_

She felt a laugh rise inside of her as she fell, but it came out gurgled as blood oozed out of her mouth. _Circe, my daughter…it's your turn to be the Oracle…Do me proud…_

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Legionnaire's lips parted in a silent scream as the seraphim pinned him to the wall, his skin smoking under their hands but they did not flinch. He could not understand how they had beaten him. He had done everything in his power to disrupt the Halfling's training in the ways of the Angels Above. Everyone who the Halfling loved had been affected – Nuada, the Old One, and now the Oracle, all killed…The others seriously wounded. Even Brynn was wounded, but somehow that had not been enough…

"**Legionnaire**," Brynn said in a multitude of voices in the angelic language, "**we will give you one last chance to repent and change your ways**…"

The Angel of the Damned sneered at that and spat at her, but it didn't touch her. Brynn touched one of her many wounds and Legionnaire felt a swell of pride, knowing that he'd at least wounded her before the seraphim had arrived. The swell of pride vanished when she brought her blood-covered finger to his forehead and painted the sign of the cross in her angelic blood, to be replaced with pain and anger. He tried to bite her hand, struggling against the seraphim, but she moved out of the way too quickly.

"**Nuada, it is time…"**

The Elven prince and mate of the sweet little Halfling stepped in front of him, the sword that he had in his hands suddenly glowing with bright fire. Legionnaire stared at it in defiance, not as afraid of it as he thought he'd be. As he had spared no words for the Elven prince when he had killed him, the Elf didn't say a single word as he thrust the sword into Legionnaire's chest, twisting it with a hard, determined look on his face.

Legionnaire coughed up blood as he chuckled. "So this is how it ends…" he said in a hoarse, pain-filled voice.

"**Yes…This is the last time you will be free of the flames of the Pit, to which you will now return, Legionnaire of the Damned."**

The Damned angel died moments later and knew only torment forevermore…

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Brynn blinked in surprise, the glow from her eyes fading, as she became aware of her surroundings once more. The seraphim stood around her with Nuada and she saw that he was passing the sword back to them. There was no longer an urgent reason for the weapon to be with the people of Earth and she was happy for that. Brynn clumsily leapt onto Nuada and placed a kiss on his cheek before he could fully react. She touched his face in wonder.

"You're covered in blood," she whispered to him.

"It is your blood," Nuada told her just as quietly. "You are wounded."

**Then perhaps I can be of assistance… **

Brynn looked away from Nuada to see a beautiful angel standing there as the seraphim faded away. "Old One?"

The Old One smiled and held her hand out. **It is me, little Sister. You have done everything as it should be done and rid the world of a great evil, but…**

"There will be more on the rise," Brynn said, taking hold of the Old One's semi-transparent hand. "Old One, will we be ready for them?"

"Of course we will," Hellboy stated, walking over and pointing up at the Old One. "I've got a bone to pick with you, lady."

Brynn giggled when the Old One vanished before Hellboy could touch her. Nuada gestured at her wings with a look of awe. Without looking, Brynn knew her wings had been restored to their pristine white color and that her wounds were healed. She hoped that Noemi's wings would return to the snowy white that she remembered from Heaven. Nuada pressed his lips against her forehead and Brynn felt a new energy course through her.

"Let us retrieve_ our_ child," Nuada whispered into her ear, bringing a large smile to Brynn's face, "and your mother. There is something I must ask of them and of you in their presence."

"Why wait?" Brynn asked when she heard the pitter patter of little feet on the floor.

"Mommy! Daddy!" Noemi's little voice exclaimed as she came running towards them, her wings as white as snow and flapping excitedly.

Brynn collected Noemi into her arms and saw that her mother was standing by the door with the others. Daria smiled at her uncertainly and gripped the crucifix at her neck. Nuala looked peaceful next to Abe and Brynn felt a whisper of thoughts pass across the room.

"Little one," Nuada said, extracting Noemi from Brynn's arms and resting her lightly on his hip. "What would you say if I asked your mother to become my wife?"

Noemi's eyes widened. "You're not married? But…Mommy has my bubby in her tummy."

Nuada looked at Brynn in alarm. She smiled and shrugged. "We can't do everything in order," she said, "but if you're offering the wife position to me in less than romantic tongue…well, all right. I accept."

Hellboy rolled his eyes and started walking away. "Oh great, mushy stuff…There isn't enough beer in the world to drink this away…"

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**A/N: Yeah, I killed off Kendra again, but it was permanent this time. The next chapter will be more of an epilogue and then it's over. You finally get your wish, you snobby Trolls who flame my story, it's over. But I have another idea for a HB story, so when I get around to it there might be another very different HB story. To those who have supported me, thanks. Hold you head up high. Dream big. Keep smiling. ~ Scarlet **


	20. Epilogue

**A/N: A big "thank you" goes out to this story's supporters – both anonymous and signed authors – for their kindness and patience with this story. Thank you to those who supported the story in silence through favorites and alerts without a review to be shown. **

**Here's a short epilogue for you…**

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**Epilogue**

"Little angel," Nuada whispered as he lay next to Brynn on the hood of her car. Her eyes fluttered open and turned to him in question. "Is it true that you are with child again?"

Brynn's lips curved up at the corners and her eyes sparkled with life. "Do you doubt the word of your first born?" she asked, sitting up. "She seemed quite upset with us for not being wed before having another child." She touched the necklace around her neck that he'd given her as a sign of his love. Forget-me-nots and rosemary flowers for remembrance and love; it was more symbolic of their love than a common ring. "We've fixed that problem, yet…"

Nuada sat up as well and looked at her. "What are you thinking, little angel?" he asked as he was unable to read her thoughts.

Brynn smiled at him mischievously and threw her keys into the car, closing the door. "Well, we haven't…"

"If you continue to act like a child and not finish your sentences, perhaps I will not be a gentle as you have tried to make me," Nuada said, pinning her to the side of her car with his hands. Brynn squirmed against him. "Now, what have we not done?"

The angel Halfling let the walls around her mind fall for just a brief moment. The Elven prince looked at her with his dark eyes and Brynn blushed under the heat of his stare, her body squirming against his. His hands tightened on her wrists for a split second before he leaned his head against hers and looked her closely in the eye.

"First you must agree to my demands," Nuada stated with a soft smirk.

"What demands?" Brynn's eyes narrowed in suspicion, though her body burned with heat against his.

Nuada's smirk turned darker…

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

"Charlie, Caroline," Brynn said with a sigh as she leaned her hips against the counter. "I have to quit."

"Quit? Quit smoking?" Caroline asked with a frown. "I didn't even know that you smoked those cancer sticks…Aren't angels supposed to be pure?"

"No Caroline…I have to quit working with you and Charles here at the diner." Brynn muttered, feeling eyes on her back. "I don't smoke and I'm only half angel so I don't have to be pure."

Caroline's mouth dropped open for a moment and her eyes misted. Charlie frowned and walked out of the kitchen, wiping his hands on a dish towel. The regular customers fell quiet as they listened in on the conversation. Brynn clasped her hand over the necklace that Nuada had given her.

"Is the – is the Bureau transferring you to another better paying place?" Caroline asked. "Because Charlie can pay you more if it's a matter of more pay…"

"No…It's not that. I love it here and wouldn't let the Bureau place me somewhere else." Brynn gave a wan smile. "I am no longer part of the Bureau or under their complete protection," she continued. "HB left with Liz and the twins, Abe left with Nuala…The Bureau doesn't know what to do, but that's fine with me because I'm not going back…None of us are."

"Where _will _you go?" Charlie asked, pulling out the diner's checkbook and dashing off her final paycheck.

"To Ireland with plenty of land for the kids to play on…No Bureau watching us twenty-four seven… An open, clear blue sky to fly in…" She smiled at the images Nuada was projecting in her head. "Besides, the husband wants to be close to the magical epicenter of the world."

"Uh-huh," Caroline said, putting her hands on wide hips. "I bet the husband also wants to rule the Unseen Kingdom as king too, doesn't he?"

Brynn sighed and took her check from Charlie. "I'll miss you guys…" she said with a voice full of sincerity. "You've been the best coworker and boss I've ever worked for…"

Charlie smiled and gave her a hug. "Take care of yourself and your little ones, Brynn and come back anytime you want some good soul food, 'cause you know no one cooks like old Charlie now."

Caroline pouted and tapped her fingers against her hip. "So you're leaving me to train another newbie by myself, are you?" She rolled her eyes and wrapped her arms around Brynn, hugging her tightly. "I'm going to miss you, Bee."

OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

Brynn stood there on the edge of a cliff in the Emerald Isle with her daughter, looking out at the blue ocean below them. She glanced to her left and saw Nuada standing on a boulder in a very "kingly" pose. Her senses were picking up on the magical land around them and Brynn felt at peace as she rested her head on her rounded stomach.

"This is home," she whispered…

**OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO**

**A/N: Told you it was short and that was completely by accident, though no matter how hard I tried to make it longer, it seemed forced when I made it more than two pages, so please bear with me. It is time to put this story among my completed stories and never look back upon it until I am done with all the other stories I have milling about in my head, to redo it if necessary…**

**Thank you again for your support and patience. Keep smiling. ~ Scarlet **


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